Annie’s Mailbox: Studies find horror not good for kids

Dear Annie: I am so frustrated with my husband. We have four children under the age of 8. He actually encourages them to watch scary movies and play violent video games. He says it’s OK because he’s with them and can explain anything they don’t understand. He says he’s watched horror movies since he was a young kid and there’s nothing wrong with it.

What he doesn’t see is that the children often have nightmares after watching these programs and are afraid to walk around the house alone. Our 2-year-old tries to emulate the martial arts he sees in one of the video games and hits and kicks other people all the time.

When I object to these movies and games, my husband says I’m overreacting and the children know it’s all fake. How can I convince him it’s having a negative impact? Are there any studies showing the damage this can cause? Maybe he’ll pay more attention to experts. – Not a Fan of Ghouls in Canada

Dear Canada: There have been numerous studies on the effects of TV and video game violence on children. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry concluded that children can become numb to the horror of violence, will gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems and may imitate the violence they see. An influential study done at the University of Michigan showed that men and women who watched violent TV programming as children were more inclined to show violent tendencies as adults. Researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation believe that children age 7 and younger are particularly vulnerable to the effects of viewing violence.

More importantly, your children are having nightmares and your 2-year-old thinks he’s Bruce Lee. Take your husband to your next pediatrician appointment, and let the doctor talk to him about the harm he may be doing to his children.