ABSTRACT
The Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, in April, 1999, capped a year marked by youth violence. Once again, faced with public concerns, politicians moved to identify and eliminate the causes of aggression in the young. Fingers pointed at easy availability of guns and graphic depictions of violence in movies, television, and video games. The 106th Congress voted in June, 1999, to take no action to increase restrictions on gun sales, but continued plans to restrict access to violent media content.1 Based on the mandate of the 1996 Telecommunications Bill, by January 1, 2000, all television sets with screens 13 inches or larger will be sold equipped with a V-chip, which will allow parents to block programs based on the TV Parental Guidelines ratings system.2 At President Clinton’s urging, the National Association of Theater Owners pledged to require youths unaccompanied by
adults to produce a photo ID before being admitted to R-rated films. And, critics are wondering if the current voluntary rating system for video games is enough to keep violent games out of the hands of the young. The effects of media violence have once again become the topic of popular discussion and public policy.
