As part of a policy statement on media violence, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) outlines steps pediatricians can take to evaluate potential heavy media use by children.

Beginning with the claim that “the evidence is now clear and convincing: media violence is 1 of the causal factors of real-life violence and aggression,” the AAP paper encourages pediatricians to ask at least two media-related questions per each adolescent visit: How much entertainment media per day is the child watching? and Is there a TV or Internet connection in the child’s bedroom?

The AAP recommends that parents remove televisions, Internet and videogames from their kid’s rooms and limit screen time to one to two hours per day, totally avoiding violent games. Parents are also encouraged to co-view any material in order to screen it for appropriateness.

The AAP had recommendations targeted at the entertainment industry as well, including these specific videogame-related topics:

• Video games should not use human or other living targets or award points for killing, because this teaches children to associate pleasure and success with their ability to cause pain and suffering to others.
• Play of violent video games should be restricted to age-limited areas of gaming arcades; the distribution of videos and video games and the exhibition of movies should be limited to appropriate age groups.

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