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 For the experiment, researchers had children watch a 20-minute clip
from the PG-rated films “The Rocketeer” or “National Treasure.” The
kids were randomly assigned to watch either an unedited version of
the clip, or a version in which scenes showing guns were edited out
but the action and narrative of the film were not altered.
After watching the movie, the children were taken to a different
room with a cabinet full of toys and were told they could play with
any of the toys and games in the room. One drawer of the cabinet
contained a real 0.38-caliber handgun that had been modified so it
could not fire, although the gun’s hammer and trigger were still
functional.
During 20 minutes of playtime in the room, the movie scene kids saw
didn’t appear to influence whether they found the gun or handled it,
researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.
It’s not clear why the movies didn’t appear to influence whether
children picked up the guns to play, said study co-author Brad
Bushman, a psychology researcher at Ohio State University in
Columbus.
“But those who did handle the gun held it longer and pulled the
trigger more times if they saw a movie with guns than if they saw a
movie without guns,” Bushman said by email.
“Past research has shown that kids who see movie characters smoke
are more likely to smoke themselves, and kids who see movie
characters drink alcohol are more likely to drink alcohol
themselves,” Bushman added. “Movies with alcohol have a warning, and
movies with cigarettes also have a warning, and I think movies with
guns should have a warning too.”
When kids did grab the gun, the ones who had seen movie characters
with a gun pulled the trigger roughly three times on average, the
study found. By contrast, the children who hadn’t see a gun in the
movie rarely, if ever, pulled the trigger at all.
In addition, half of the kids who had observed movie characters
using firearms held the gun for 53 seconds or more, the study found.
When kids had not seen a gun in the movie scene, half of them held
the gun for about 11 seconds or less.
The experiment included 104 children between 8 and 12 years old who
were either related or friends. They watched the movie scenes in
pairs and then went to the playroom together afterward.
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Overall, 43 pairs of kids, or about 83 percent, found the gun in the
cabinet drawer.
Children in just 14 of the pairs gave the gun to a research
assistant or told them about it when they found it.
In 22 of the pairs, one or both children handled the gun.
Beyond its small size, other limitations of the study include the
fact that only one modified handgun was available in the playroom,
and the results might have been different if more firearms were in
the room, the authors note.
“Keep in mind that kids have plenty of exposure to guns in many
other settings, TV news, other movies, social media streams etc.,
plus they have an innate interest in them, so it is NOT surprising
that they all handled them,” said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, author of
an accompanying editorial and researcher at the Center for Child
Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research
Institute.
“Having just seen some being discharged however, did impact their
likelihood of FIRING them,” Christakis said by email.
Because gun ownership and violent images in the media are widespread
in the U.S., the study results underscore the importance of safe gun
storage, Christakis added.
This can include storing firearms unloaded and locked, separate from
ammunition, doctors advise.
“This is not about gun control,” Christakis said. “It’s about
responsible ownership.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2y4tlD6 and http://bit.ly/2y2s9Qo JAMA
Pediatrics, online September 25, 2017.
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