Gun Violence Rising in PG-13 Movies - East Idaho News

Gun Violence Rising in PG-13 Movies

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Thinkstock 111113 MovieWatchers?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1384163703133Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Parents may want to rethink taking their teenagers to the latest blockbuster films after researchers determined that the most popular movies of today are more violent than ever, and may in turn make youths more prone to aggressive behavior.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics analyzed the 30 top-grossing films of each year from 1950 through 2012 and found that violence has doubled since 1950. Even more notable is the rise of gun violence in PG-13 films, which the study says has tripled since 1985, when the rating was introduced.

Researchers say that in movies rated G and PG, the rate of gun violence has shown a decrease, and those rated R have showed little to no change. In fact, since 2009, PG-13 movies have contained “as much or more” violence than films rated R.

Previously completed studies have linked the presence of weapons and violent films with increased aggression.

The authors of the study concluded that the increasing popularity of PG-13 films, and the violence contained in them, may make American youths more aggressive than ever before.

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