A new Harris Poll whose findings will be fully released later this week shows that 58% of parents believe video games contribute to violence in teenagers. The poll was an independent study that surveyed 2,278 US adults. In addition, the poll also found that 38% of parents were unaware of the Entertainment Software Rating Board system or the ESRB.
The good news is that the poll found that 66% of parents do use the ESRB to make video game purchasing decisions for their children. The bad news is the poll also found that only 14% of parents actually understand the ESRB. The poll also found that parents believe that it is easier for children to gain access to violent video games than it is for them to gain access to violent television or movies. Which is not true, as Federal Trade Commission actually found that the game industry is much better at enforcing the age ratings system than other mediums.
The funny thing is that this study shows kids are getting violent video games because of the incompetence of the parents. There are parents buying their children video games without even understanding the ESRB. But again it seems we have more misinformed parents blaming the video game industry in light of recent tragic events like Newtown Connecticut.
Source: Venture Beat
