Media violence

New APPC research reveals that the increased occurrence of guns in U.S. movies paralleled the increase in gun-related deaths among young people.

TV gun violence in popular prime-time broadcast dramas has increased steadily over almost two decades, paralleling trends in U.S. homicide deaths attributable to firearms, APPC research found.

In a new study, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania find that scenes of unjustified and justified violence in movies activate different parts of the adolescent brain. When movie characters engage in violence that is seen as justified, there is a synchronized response among viewers in a part of the brain involved in moral evaluation, suggesting that viewers see it as acceptable for protection.

In a pilot study, APPC researchers found that the American TV show "Jane the Virgin" features more risk behavior and less healthy behavior than the Spanish-language telenovela it was adapted from, "Juana la Virgen."