Media violence as a public health issue

Abstract

Media violence is a particularly important public health issue today, given all the technological development we are witnessing. We acknowledge the major advances in the field but emphasize the importance of further research in diverse cultural contexts.

As a starting point, it is important to understand what we will be discussing as violence in the media. Violence can be seen as a more severe form of aggression. Aggression refers to any behaviour intended to harm another person, and this harm is something the target seeks to avoid [1]. Acts of violence can even result in someone’s death or extreme harm, as happens with rape or sexual violence. When someone strikes another person with a knife or shoots someone, this is clearly a violent act. On the other hand, when someone plays a cruel prank on someone, pulls their hair, or pulls a chair away when they are about to sit down, we are talking about aggression, because the harm is not as extreme as in the first example. Although these behaviours differ in severity, both violence and aggression can be learned or reinforced through exposure. Violent behavior, in particular, can be transmitted across different media. Over the years, violence has been a constant presence in television programs, news broadcasts, and Hollywood action films. However, other media that attract increasing amounts of people’s time and attention remain less well studied.

Recent global data indicate that in 2025 approximately 68% of the world’s population will be Internet users and around 64% will be social media users [2]. It can easily be observed that violent content has also permeated the internet. Recent data from the Youth Endowment Fund indicate that approximately 70% of adolescents have been exposed to acts of violence on social media [3]. Studying the impact of these non-traditional media on the perpetration of aggression and violence in the daily lives of young people represents an urgent and contemporary challenge for researchers investigating the effects of violent media.

Research on the effects of exposure to media violence has accumulated a substantial body of knowledge over several decades [4, 5]. Robust empirical evidence, including meta-analyses, indicates that exposure to violent media is associated with increases in aggressive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, as well as decreases in empathy, prosocial or helping behaviors [6–9]. Research across cultures has also shown that violence in the media predicts aggressive behavior, mediated by aggressive cognitions and empathy [7, 10]. Other effects of violent media exposure have also been documented, including desensitization to real-life violence, aggressive sexual behavior, aggressive driving, alcohol and tobacco use, and long-term effects on impulsivity and attention problems [8]. Several theoretical frameworks have been applied to explain the effects of media violence, including excitation transfer theory, desensitization theory, script theory, priming, and the General Aggression Model (GAM), which integrates these approaches into a comprehensive framework. Grounding in the GAM, through an experiment in the Brazilian context, it was found that exposure to violent content on the Internet increased the likelihood of sharing that content online [10]. Considering structural equation modeling, it was also verified that positive affects mediated the effects of exposure to violent content online in online aggression, as well as the effects of openness to change, extroversion, and conscientiousness, according to the Big Five personality model [10]. This research is very important because it addresses a new form of violence, one that occurs in the virtual environment but has real-life consequences.

Despite these advances, significant challenges remain. Further progress is needed to better understand causal relationships and underlying mechanisms, factors that may amplify or mitigate these effects, as well as the factors through which these effects can be verified, moderators and mediators. In this context, there is a strong need for experimental research with rigorous control of variables, high internal validity, and adequate generalizability. Such research must also adhere to strict ethical standards, given the sensitivity of the topic. Additionally, longitudinal studies that follow participants across developmental stages are essential. Another major challenge involves examining additional cultural differences in the effects of violent media [11], particularly considering that most existing research has been conducted in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) countries [4–6].

With great pleasure and enthusiasm, we present this call for papers for the BMC Public Health Collection on the effects of exposure to media violence. Exposure to violent media content represents a significant public health concern. The increase in violent content across mass media has generated renewed interest in the potential negative consequences of this phenomenon. With this in mind, BMC Public Health has proposed the following objectives for this collection: to identify new evidence, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and synthesize current research. Whenever possible, it is important that these topics be studied from their origins, with a focus on populations most vulnerable to these effects, such as children and adolescents.

Contributions from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and other underrepresented regions would be especially valuable, particularly theory-driven research that advances a more globally diverse and inclusive science of media violence effects. We welcome submissions addressing a range of topics, including the relationship between media violence and violent behavior; perceptions of violent content across different platforms such as social media, television, films, and video games; the influence of cyberbullying on the mental health of children and adolescents; and the implications for public policies and interventions aimed at mitigating the effects of violent media. Ultimately, violence in the media constitutes a significant public health problem, as it increases the likelihood of aggressive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in daily life, as well as other health-risk behaviors. We invite researchers worldwide to submit original contributions to this collection, with the aim of advancing research and theory in this critical area. This collection offers a timely platform to consolidate emerging evidence, address persistent gaps, and shape future directions in both research and policy.

Biographies

Carlos E. Pimentel

is a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Brasília, and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Postgraduate Program in Social Psychology at the Federal University of Paraíba. He has been developing empirical research using quantitative methods, cross-sectional and experimental, on the effects of violent media on aggressive and pro-social behaviors, searching for mediators and moderators.

Boyu Qiu

is a PhD in School of Health Management at Guangzhou Medical University. His research examines social behavior acquisition through interactive media, as well as the differential mental health impacts of active versus passive screen use. His work employs experimental psychology approaches and advocates for the use of computational modeling in data analysis.

Authors’ contributions

CEP conceived and drafted the Editorial. BQ revised and edited the Editorial. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

None.

Data availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

Carlos E. Pimentel and Boyu Qiu are Guest Editors of the Effects of exposure to media violence Collection.