Media violence

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."

Parents are more willing to let their children see intense gun violence in PG-13 movies when the violence appears “justified,” used to defend a loved one or for self-protection, than when it has no socially redeeming purpose, a new study finds.

The amount of gun violence in top-grossing PG-13 movies has continued to exceed the gun violence in the biggest box-office R-rated films, according to an APPC analysis published in Pediatrics. PG-13 movies also usually feature gun violence without showing consequences such as blood and suffering, researchers said.