Memorandum submitted by mediamarch
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
mediamarch (mm) has campaigned to raise awareness
about the link between media content and social behaviour since
its foundation in 2000. In November 2008 mm organised a conference
in Parliament, sponsored by Nadine Dorries MP, entitled "The
Harmful Effects of Violent Films and Computer Games on Young People's
Behaviour, and Effective Preventive Action". Much of the
evidence about the media's role in the growth of youth crime in
the UK was highly relevant to the Committee's terms of reference,
in particular from Professor Kevin Browne, Department of Forensic
& Child Psychology, Liverpool University; Mike Jervis, Chief
Executive of the Damilola Trust; Robert Prendergast, Joint Director
of Urban Mission, South London; and Louise Brown, Public Policy
Consultant, Christian Concern for Our Nation.
These experts' presentations supported mm's
submission that there are several causes for the growth in knife
crime in the UK, but that a significant and largely unaddressed
cause is the increasingly violent content across the media. Research
suggests that if the level of violence in media content could
be reduced, then it is highly likely that the rate of youth crime
would fall, including knife crime. There is therefore more justification
than ever before for the government to legislate in order to promote
socially-responsible standards in all media content. The mm conference
focused strategically on the area of film and video-game content,
which is regulated by the British Board of Film Classification
(BBFC), and suggested that a significant improvement in content
standards could be achieved relatively easily by government action
to amend legislation and strengthen the BBFC's guidelines, and
accountability to Parliament.
CAUSES: REASONS
FOR KNIFE-CARRYING
AND USE
1. Violent media imagery can lead to more
violent behaviour in general
Professor Browne stated that the link between
violent media content and violent behaviour in vulnerable young
men had been known for many years. The combination of growing
up in a violent family, experiencing real violence and also witnessing
violence indirectly through a screen seems to increase the probability
of committing violent offences. Different personality types can
react to violent media content differently but the result is still
negative: types that are more predisposed to violence will become
active in their violent behaviour as their aggressive thoughts
are reinforced and triggered; those less predisposed to violence
will become passive in their responses to violence as they become
desensitized and accustomed to violent imagery. A paper written
by Prof Browne that provides a detailed study of his arguments
is attached (1 below).
Mike Jervis also testified to his personal experience
of the negative impact of violent media content. Leroy Logan planned
to speak about "social architects that influence our behaviour
and environment, especially the media, and how this can play itself
out in certain types of human behaviour that may heighten a person's
vulnerability to inappropriate, anti-social and criminal behaviour".
He mentioned media role models.
Robert Prendergast said that his work with students
in South London schools had left him in no doubt that films like
Kidulthood normalize violence, and young people who watch them
become more accepting of aggressive and violent attitudes and
behaviour in their own lives.
2. Prominent and graphic depiction of knives
can lead to copycat behaviour
There have been several high profile cases of
violent crime involving young people (and adults) in which media
content has been implicated as one of the causative factors. One
example is the murder of 14 year old Stefan Pakeerah. Stefan lived
in the constituency of Keith Vaz, who spoke about the case at
the conference. Professor Browne cited the murder of James Bulger.
mm has attached a list of many more (2 below).
mm contends that the media is, albeit unwittingly,
helping to encourage more violent behaviour, especially among
the young, who are more immersed in it than older age groups,
especially in media that involves computers. When that is combined
with graphic and glamorising images of knives and knife use, a
dangerous cocktail results.
Knives do indeed feature prominently in films
such as Kidulthood: the conference saw a graphic and disturbing
clip in which a young black teenager is initiated into a gang
by an "elder" who persuades him to use a Stanley knife
to cut the face of a white boy tied to a table (hard copies
of photographs and a DVD that includes this scene are being sent
to the Committee).
SOLUTIONS: EDUCATION,
PARENTS AND
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
3. Parents and teachers report that much
media can undermine positive parenting and education
mm agrees that education, parents and community
projects are all part of the solution to this problem. However,
the media must not be ignored, as it effects all of these three
areas, and often undermines their positive influence. mm hears
from many parents that most of the media is communicating messages
about life that make parenting more difficult: it tends to discourage
respect for authority, and promote risky and even criminal behaviour,
by portraying it in a glamorous or deceptive way. Parents report
to mm that the media also often "puts ideas into their children's
heads". They are frustrated that much media does not support
their efforts to raise law-abiding adults and ignores their pleas
for change. As Keith Vaz said at the mm Conference, "Parental
responsibility is absolutely vital, but there also has to be industry
responsibility".
It is also worth noting that the very children
who suffer from parental neglect are the ones who are most likely
to use the media in a risky and less regulated manner.
Many teachers also find they are confronting
unhelpful media messages.
In 2005 a mediamarch petition of over
121,000 signatures was handed in at 10 Downing Street, calling
for harmful media content, including violent material, to be dramatically
reduced.
SOLUTIONS: POLICE
OPERATIONS, AMNESTIES
AND ENFORCEMENT
4. The media's portrayal of the police often
makes the job of the police more difficult, especially with young
people
Mike Jervis of the Damilola Trust cited the
fact that some young people's disrespect for the police mirrors
the game Grand Theft Auto, where shooting police officers and
a constant disregard for police authority run throughout the games.
SOLUTIONS: CONVICTIONS,
PENALTIES AND
SENTENCING
5. While convictions, penalties and sentencing
are all important areas, they deal with the problem after the
event. mm would like to see preventive action being given more
prominence
As outlined above, mm would like to see the
causal effect of the media included in government action to counteract
increased carrying and use of knives.
6. mm believes that a vital and very effective
part of the solution would be to reduce violent content in all
media
According to Professor Browne, researchers have
argued that if the proportion of violent crime was to be reduced
by the amount contributed by media violence to an individual's
predisposition (approximately 10%), then the overall effect on
society would be dramatic (Paik & Comstock, 1994). This does
seem to confirm the deeply held belief of many parents and teachers
that if violent media content were significantly reduced, then
young people's (and adults') behaviour would improve.
CURRENT LEGISLATION
7. mm would like to see the Government legislate
in order to oblige and empower all media regulators to enforce
more socially-responsible standards regarding violent media content
This is such an important factor in reducing
knife-crime (and for the well-being of society in general), that
the Government should make a priority of legislating to regulate
violent media content more effectively. Given that a significant
number of children, especially vulnerable ones, do view and use
age-inappropriate media (and that parents often feel powerless
because of the sheer volume and pervasiveness of violent material),
mm also favours stricter regulation of all violent material, irrespective
of age.
— mm strongly believes that content
warnings will be of very limited use and will be totally inadequate
for reducing the effect of harmful media content.
— Keith Vaz has described how he has
been singled out by the gaming industry because of his campaign
to get violent video games reclassified. For this reason it is
more important than ever for the government, rather than individuals
or pressure groups, to take on this very powerful industry.
8. Films, DVDs and Videogames
The most obvious and important regulator to
target at the moment is the BBFC, as films and videogames are
so influential and, unlike the internet, a system already exists
for scrutinising them. It is vital to get the BBFC's house in
order, as Mr Burnham is considering extending measures such as
film-style classification to reduce the amount of offensive and
harmful activity online.
At the mm conference, Louise Brown presented
credible recommendations for amending the working of the BBFC
to ensure that more harmful violent content is banned. Details
are attached (3 below).
Television
mm recommends that the Government instruct Ofcom
to reduce violent content across all TV and radio channels.
Internet
mm calls on the Government to work with ISPs
and experts to reduce violent content. It is no longer acceptable
to claim that this is technically impossible, as currently several
Governments are successfully managing internet content in their
own countries for political reasons. It is a disgrace that repressive
Governments are mobilising considerable and costly technical expertise
to censor the internet for political reasons, while so-called
democratic Governments continue to claim that they are unable
to remove harmful material from the internet in order to protect
their children and society.
The internet is a marvellous tool for good but
unless harmful and offensive content is controlled, many more
innocent people will suffer, especially the young and vulnerable.
SUPPORTING AND
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL[48]
(1) The link between violent media and antisocial
behaviour in children and young people by Kevin Browne, Professor
of Forensic and Child Psychology, School of Psychology, University
of Liverpool.
(2) List of high-profile crimes that have
been linked with violent media content compiled by mediamarch.
(3) Classification Accountability of the BBFC
by Louise Brown, Public Policy Consultant, Christian Concern
for Our Nation (CCFON). This talk was included in a more detailed
submission by CCFON in a Response to the Department for Culture,
Media and Sport Consultation on Video Games in November 2008 and
can be found at the following link:
http://www.ccfon.org/docs/Video_games_consultation_final_response.pdf
Photos of scenes from popular films and videogames
passed by the BBFC.
DVD of violent clips from popular films and videogames
passed by BBFC and violent clip from You Tube.
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