Some Facts About Youth Violence

Teenagers are more likely to die of gunshot wounds than all natural causes combined
Violent injury and death result from altercations between family members and acquaintances far more often than from robberies and other criminal activity
Children who observe violence at home may learn that violence is a way of communicating and of dealing with life's everyday issues
For many children, involvement in aggression and violence as early as age 3 or 4 sets a life course for later violence and criminal activity
Over 1000 studies confirm the link between media violence and aggressive behavior in children
By age 18, the average American child will have viewed about 200,000 acts of violence on television alone
The level of violence on Saturday morning cartoons is higher than the level of violence during prime time
Media violence is especially damaging to young children (under age 8) because they cannot tell the difference between real life and fantasy
Media violence often fails to show the consequences of violence. Children learn that there are few if any repercussions for committing violent acts