Genetics are Related to Playing Violent Video Games and Watching Violent T.V.

Exposing children to violent video games and T.V. programs has been a subject of debate over the past few decades. New game consoles and network T.V. have featured easier access to such violence and it has become a more prevalent issue. 

According to the American Psychological Association, a child's immersion in such violent material can cause them to become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, cause them to be more fearful of the world around them and also cause them to be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others. More information regarding child behavior as a result of violent material can be found in this APA research article.

A study headed by the University of Amsterdam's School of Communication Research has found that there is a gene related to the increased playing of violent video games and viewing of violent T.V. programs. The researchers analyzed DNA samples of 1,600 Dutch children aged 5-9. The samples were collected at the children's birth. Their results were published in the Journal of Communication.

The parents of the children in the study examined how much violent material their children consumed and provided the researchers with that information. The researchers then found that the children who viewed more violent T.V. or played more violent video games possessed a specific variant of the serotonin-transporter gene. These children also exhibited more ADHD-related behavior.

Psychologist Craig A. Anderson revealed in a 2010 study that, "evidence strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for decreased empathy and prosocial behavior," in this APA research article.

This study, entitled "Media Violence and Children's ADHD-Related Behaviors: A Genetic Susceptibility Perspective", is the first of its kind to examine violent media content alongside the study of a specific gene variant.

More results of this study can be found in this EurekAlert! article.