Say Hello to my Little Violent Friend

DEREK WU
Staff Writer

R-rated movies often target teenagers, even though they feature gore, violence and horror. Though many teenagers enjoy watching these types of movies, R-rated movies often have negative effects on the not-as-developed mind. In addition to psychological effects, health problems could also occur over time.

Published in an issue of Prevention Science, a scientific journal of the Society for Prevention Research, studies done by James D. Sargent showed that children under 17 who watched R-rated movies were more likely to seek feelings of sensation and excitement, which can lead to problems that include underage drinking and alcohol abuse.

Dartmouth Medical School and Sargent explain that teenagers who want to experience risky behavior often surround themselves with other teenagers who also have a higher sensation-seeking behavior. This causes delinquent like behavior and further desensitizes the person, encouraging more recklessness.

R-rated movies with violence also contribute to a tendency toward acts of violence in teenagers. As stated in the ScienceDaily, researcher Jordan Grafman conducted a study where teenagers were exposed to World’s Wildest Street Fights, a collection of violent street fights. The boys in the study had been desensitized to violence after watching the movies. However, there are many factors to one’s sensitivity to violence including violence in one’s personal life and genetics.

“The risk would go up for being accepting of violent or aggressive behavior around you, which be often as devastating as actually committing the act, or potentially being more easily provoked,” Grafman said.