PHILADELPHIA – The amount of gun violence in the top-grossing PG-13 movies has more than tripled since 1985, and in 2012 it exceeded the gun violence in the top-grossing R-rated movies, according to researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Ohio State University.
The overall rate of violence in the biggest box-office movies has more than doubled since 1950, the researchers report in a new study.
The study, “Gun Violence Trends in Movies,” published in the December issue of Pediatrics (online publication Nov. 11), shows that in 1985, the first full year of the PG-13 rating, the amount of gun violence in popular PG-13 movies was similar to that in movies rated G and PG. Since then, the gun violence in PG-13 movies has grown, and since 2009 it has rivaled the level of gun violence in R-rated movies.
“It’s disturbing that PG-13 movies are filled with so much gun violence,” said Dan Romer, director of the Adolescent Communication Institute of the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) and a co-author of the study. “We know that movies teach children how adults behave, and they make gun use appear exciting and attractive.”
The dramatic growth of gun violence in movies aimed at younger viewers is especially troubling, the researchers said, because of the “weapons effect,” a finding that just the sight or depiction of a gun can make people behave more aggressively. “Because of the increasing popularity of PG-13 films, youth are exposed to considerable gun violence in movie scripts,” the researchers said in the study. “The mere presence of guns in these films may increase the aggressive behavior of youth.”
To read the complete news release, click here. To read the study in Pediatrics, click here.
Related news coverage of the study:
- Is the MPAA Rating System Broken? (No Film School, Jan. 9, 2014)
- U.S. watchdog group calls for new TV, movie rating system (Yahoo! News, Jan. 8, 2014)
- Parents Org Calls for Overhaul of Movie and TV Ratings (IMDb News, Jan. 8, 2014)
- Parents Television Council Blasts TV, Movie Industries Over Ratings Systems (The Wrap, Jan. 8, 2014)
- The Movies With Pasts Ruled the Year (The New York Times, Dec. 30, 2013)
- Hollywood & Guns (“Piers Morgan Live,” CNN, Nov. 26, 2013)
- Obama Tells His Hollywood Allies to Cut Movie Violence (Before It’s News, Nov. 26, 2013)
- Sex, Violence and R ratings: A debate (“Room for Debate,” The New York Times, Nov. 25, 2013)
- Ratings madness and Dame Judi Dench (The Day (New London, CT), Nov. 25, 2013)
- New research raising parents’ questions about PG-13 rating (St. Joseph News-Press, Nov. 24, 2013)
- PG-13 violence a bow to video games, box office (The Boston Globe, Nov. 22, 2013)
- Study In December Pediatrics: Violence in PG-13 Movies Has Tripled (Dr. Peggy Drexler in the Huffington Post, Nov. 19, 2013)
- PG-13 gun violence shoots up (“Reliable Sources,” CNN, Nov. 17, 2013)
- Editorial: Violence, crime and our children (Chattanooga Times Free Press, Nov. 17, 2013)
- Payton: Bus attack is uncharacteristic for diverse Oakland and the Bay Area (Gun-violence film study cited in the Contra Costa Times, Nov. 17, 2013)
- Study finds that gun violence in PG-13 films is rising (“AirTalk,” 89.3 KPCC, Nov. 15, 2013)
- Blame Washington, Not Hollywood, for R-Rated Violence in PG-13 Films (Forbes, Nov. 14, 2013)
- Jury’s Out: Violent PG-13 Movies Push Ratings Boundaries (“Good Morning America,” ABC News, Nov. 13, 2013)
- Horsey on Hollywood: Rising movie gun violence gives rise to concerns over movie ratings (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 13, 2013)
- Gun Violence in Movies: A View From Abroad (Deadline.com, Nov. 13, 2013)
- Politics of Parenting: New Study Shows PG-13 Films More Violent Than R Rated Films (Uprising Radio, Nov. 13, 2013)
- That PG-13 rating: It’s a killer (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 12, 2013)
- Have PG-13 movies become too violent? (“The Willis Report,” Fox Business Network, Nov. 12, 2013)
- Study shows 3-fold increase in gun violence in PG-13 movies since 1985 (Voice of Russia – American edition, Nov. 12, 2013)
- Our view: Regularity of shooting violence mirrors rise in movie gun scenes (The Bristol Press (CT), Nov. 12, 2013)
- Gun violence explodes in PG-13 films (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 12, 2013)
- PG-13 Movies Now Actually More Violent Than R Movies, Study Says Slash Film, Nov, 12, 2013)
- Gun violence in film rises (Screen Daily (U.K.), Nov. 12, 2013)
- Násilie v amerických filmoch stúpa, stre?ba sa za posledných 60 rokov strojnásobila (Pluska.sk (Slovakia), Nov. 12, 2013)
- Les armes à feu, une place préoccupante dans les films à succès (Actua Litté (Paris), Nov. 12, 2013)
- US study shows that film gun violence has tripled since 1985 (Malta Today, Nov. 12, 2013)
- Study finds violence, guns on the rise in PG-13 films (“Here & Now,” WBUR, Nov. 12, 2013)
- US study shows that film gun violence has tripled since 1985 (Malta Today, Nov. 12, 2013)
- Increasingly Violent Movies Spark Debate Over Rating System (“ABC World News with Diane Sawyer,” Nov. 11, 2013)
- Once Again, Movie Ratings Make No Sense (The Atlantic Wire, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Study Shows PG-13 Movies More Violent Than R (Vulture, Nov. 11, 2013)
- New study shows PG-13 movies have more of the gun violence families love than R-rated ones (A.V. Club, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun Use in PG-13 Movies Has More Than Tripled Since 1985 (Science Daily, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun violence has tripled in children’s films — with more gun violence than movies aimed at adults (Mirror.co.uk, Nov. 11, 2013)
- US study shows that film gun violence has tripled since 1985 (Malta Today, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun Violence in American Movies Is Rising, Study Finds (The New York Times, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Movies Rated PG-13 Feature the Most Gun Violence (NPR.org, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Movies with PG-13 ratings contain the most ‘gun violence per hour’ (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Study finds gun violence in PG-13 movies has tripled since 1985 (Al Jazeera America, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun Violence In PG-13 Movies Outstripping Rated-R Flicks: Study (International Business Times, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun Violence in Top-Grossing PG-13 Films Exceeds R-rated Ones (WSJ.com Speakeasy blog, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun Violence on the Rise in PG-13 Films (WSJLive on AOL.com, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun violence in PG-13 movies has more than tripled since 1985: Study (New York Daily News, Nov. 11, 2013)
- PG-13 movies match R rating for violence, study says (Washington Post, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun violence in PG-13 films tops level in R-rated movies (USA Today, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun Violence in PG-13 Movies Surges Since Rating Started (Bloomberg, Nov. 11, 2013)
- PG-13 movies are now more violent than R-rated ’80s flicks — study (WRCB-TV (Chattanooga, TN), Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun violence increasing in PG-13 movies (Thomson Reuters, Nov. 11, 2013)
- As violence explodes in PG-13 films, parents have to say no to Hollywood (MyBrownBaby.com, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun Violence In U.S. Movies On The Rise; PG-13 Levels Exceed R-Rated Films: Study (Deadline.com, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun violence in PG-13 movies tripled over last two decades (Fox News, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Report: Gun Violence in PG-13 Movies Higher Than R-Rated Films (Variety, Nov. 11, 2013)
- ‘Worrisome trend’ as gun violence triples (Mail Online, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun Violence in PG-13 Movies Has More Than Tripled Since 1985 (Study) (The Hollywood Reporter, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun Violence On Rise In PG-13 Movies (CNN, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Study: Today’s PG-13 Movies More Violent Than ’80s R-Rated Movies (Parade, Nov. 11, 2013)
- PG-13 Movies Have More Gun Violence Than R-Rated Films, Study Finds (The Wrap, Nov. 11, 2013)
- PG-13 movies are now more violent than R-rated ’80s flicks — study (NBC News.com, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Study: Gun Violence in Movies Doubled Since 1950 (Time, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Top PG-13 movies now have more gun violence than R rated films, study finds (The Guardian, Nov. 11, 2013)
- Gun violence in PG-13 movies has more than tripled since 1985 (Entertainment Weekly, Nov. 11, 2013)
- New Study Shows There Isn’t a Big Difference Between PG-13 and R Rated Movies (CBS Philly, Nov. 11, 2013)
