By Alan Mozes MONDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A large
proportion of American adolescents are getting early and regular
exposure to violent movies, a new survey reveals. The poll
suggests that almost 13 percent of the nation's estimated 22
million children between the ages of 10 and 14 are viewing
extremely graphic depictions of violence in film, whether in
theaters, on DVDs, or on television. "There's a lot of evidence
to support the idea that when kids watch violent media, they
become more aggressive," observed study co-author Dr. James D.
Sargent, a professor in the department of pediatrics at
Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, N.H. "And yet violent media
has become easier and easier to access for children. So, for the
movie industry, the message is that the 1960s ratings system
needs to be updated and made more explicit and relevant to the
way movies are being distributed and seen today." "But also,
parents need to be much more careful about how their children
consume violent media," he added. Sargent