ABSTRACT
Content analyses suggest that children in multiple global locations are likely to encounter violence or aggression in the media that they spend time within their daily lives, including television programs, video games, and films. Entertainment media can be appealing to some children and teens, with evidence of gender differences as well as personality differences in such appeal. Studies show that substantial proportions of children and adolescents have seen something online that has bothered them, including violence, cyberbullying, and cyberhate. Research has generally supported three main effects associated with spending time with violence: learning aggression, desensitization, and fear. Yet, the research record also shows that such media effects are complex, likely to occur, or to vary in strength based on a host of factors. Parents and caregivers as well as media literacy education teachers and facilitators can help shape young people's attitudes toward and responses to media violence, with particular promise for approaches that encourage and value the young person's autonomy. Qualitative research reveals active meaning making among children when they encounter violence in texts, showing their capacity to engage in autonomous analysis of media content, media creation practices, and audience responses to media.
