FACTS: VIOLENCE IN MUSIC, ON TV & THE INTERNET:

• TV influences behavior. If it didn't, Nike, Budweiser, Pepsi, etc. would not invest billions of dollars in advertisements.
• Violence on TV occurs in most programs and especially (5 times more) in cartoons.
• Thousands of studies have shown that violence on TV influences behavior and attitudes among children who watch it.
• The Surgeon General reports that TV violence is linked to aggressive behavior in children who view violent shows.
• From the American Medical Association to the American Psychological Association, from UNESCO to the US Attorney General, the conclusion is that TV violence is linked to the proliferation of violence in our culture.
• By age 12 the average child has witnessed at least 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other acts of violence on television.
• Children spend more time in front of the TV than they do in the classroom.
• The proliferation of violence and pornography on the Internet has become a huge factor in desensitizing children to violence and sexual crimes against women, children and vulnerable minorities.
• In summary: Violence in the media, whether it is reflected in music, cartoons, wrestling shows or movies, desensitizes children to the effects of violence, legitimizes and glorifies violence and increases aggressive behavior in those who watch it on TV or the Internet.

FACTS: VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES

• The U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Army and law enforcement agencies use video games like "Doom" or Nintendo to train their people in the use of firearms.
• Lt. Col. David Grossman, a U.S. Army expert on the psychology of combat and author of the book, "On Killing", has illustrated how violent video games, in the hands of children, serve as "murder simulators" .
• The 14 years old killer in the Paducah, Kentucky, school shooting had never fired a real pistol in his life. Nevertheless he fired eight shots, five of them head shots, the other three upper torso shots, killing 8 children. Where did he get the skill and will to kill? Most likely from violent video games and media violence, pared with a lack of adult guidance.
• In summary: Violent video games train our children to kill, glorify violence, desensitize them to suffering and legitimize and trivialize violence.

FACTS: BULLYING AT SCHOOL

• Bullying is an on-going pattern of harassment and abuse. It can be done directly by physical or verbal attacks or indirectly by exclusion, spreading rumors, etc.
• Bullies seek power through aggression and direct their attacks at vulnerable victims. Bullies lose their popularity in high school and have a high likelihood of having a criminal record as adults.
• 1 in 5 kids admit to being bullied or bullying. Every 7 minutes a child is bullied in the school setting.
• While most teachers believe they always intervene in bullying, only 25% of students report teachers' help.
• In summary: Bullying is a widespread school phenomenon, which peaks at middle school and is hurtful to vulnerable students. Bullying is a school problem that, in many cases, is not being addressed adequately.

FACTS: VIOLENCE AT HOME

• One of the main reasons that children become violent is because they are exposed to violence in their own homes, whether it is directed towards them or towards others.
• Violence at home can be of a physical nature, or it can be expressed verbally or through neglect and abandonment. Abusive homes and violent neighborhoods are stronger predictors of adult violent behavior than violence in the media. Most abusive parents were physically or sexually abused as children.
• In summary: The home and the neighborhood have an immense influence on children. Violent children are most likely to come from abusive homes and/or neighborhoods.

FACTS: VIOLENT CULTURE

• Numerous researches have established the undeniable relationships between militarism, sexism, racism and violence within the culture.
• Principally, there is no difference between the state of mind that seeks to resolve international conflicts by force and the state of mind that seeks to resolve interpersonal or familial conflicts by force and the misuse of power.
• There is a direct link between the way in which we use power with our children, our significant others, our neighbors and our environment and what we teach our children about violence.
• Cultures in which young children regularly receive loving touch have lower incidents of violent crimes.
• Research done with psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents demonstrated a significant reduction of violent and sexual acting out when staff increased the use on non-sexual, affectionate touch with the teens.
• Fear and violent behavior have a direct correlation. Monitor media news presentations that capitalize on creating fear through undue sensationalism and manipulative means.
• In summary: The misuse of power through violent action is taught through and supported by culture. The United States is one of the most violent cultures in the Western world with more crimes being committed with guns and through violent force.