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Curb violent music, videos, coalition urges

January 17, 2007

Daniel Girard
Education Reporter
Citing the “negative impact of violent media” on young people, a coalition of educators and parents today called on Ottawa and Queen’s Park to help make things safer.

Saying repeated studies conclude there’s a “causal connection” between the violence children see on television, hear in music or are exposed to over the Internet and their aggressive behaviour, professor Peter Jaffe of the University of Western Ontario said a lot more needs to be done to mitigate it.

The group wants the federal government to amend the Criminal Code to give women and girls protection under the public incitement of hatred law. They also called for changes to the Broadcasting Act to prevent television and radio stations from airing violent and adult-oriented programs before 9 p.m.

And, the group also wants the provinces to introduce and age-based classification system for pre-recorded music like the one that exists for films and video games.

“There is no question that parents and professionals who work with children are adolescents are gravely concerned about the potential harmful effects of media violence,” Jaffe, an education professor who works in the university’s Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children. (link)

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