FOR DECADES, MANY people have blamed violence in the media for real-life youth violence. More recently, parents, educators, and psychologists have focused on the media as a possible cause of school violence. They claim that young people's excessive exposure to the media in its various forms—television, movies, music, video games, and the Internet—influences how children live. And since violence exists in all of the various media, some people believe that this exposure increases the likelihood for young people to become violent at school.

The connection between media and school violence

To many parents and educators, the connection between media and school violence is obvious. They point to numerous after-school and prime-time TV programs and movies that glorify killing and violent conflict resolution. They also point to the violent music and gory video games to which many...