Study: Violent TV linked to aggression

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SEATTLE, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A new U.S. study linked watching violent TV between the ages of 2 and 5 to aggression and anti-social behavior in boys when they are between 7 and 9.

The article "Violent Television Viewing During Preschool is Associated with Anti-social Behavior During School Age" appears in the November 2007 issue of Pediatrics and reviewed data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, which is a 40-year analysis of 8,000 U.S. families.

The project looked at the types of programming watched by 184 boys and 146 girls between the ages of 2 and 5.

A clear link was found between preschool age boys who watched violent programs and their later development of anti-social and aggressive behaviors between 7 and 9.

There was no such correlation found for girls.

"This new study provides further evidence of how important and powerful television and media are as young children develop," Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis said in a statement. "However, the news here is not all bad. While we found that shows like violent cartoons or football can make children more aggressive, we found no such effect for other programs such as educational ones."