Full Report

September 15, 2003

Children increasingly exposed to violence – parents can help

Ottawa –As children settle back into the school year, they are exposed to a dizzying array of violent behavior and images from both fictional and real-life sources. The authors of a new report say many parents and educators do not realize how prevalent this exposure is or the concrete steps they can take to reduce it or minimize its impact.

Parents surveyed for the report entitled - "Canadian Children’s Exposure to Violence: What it Means for Parents" - identified violence in the school, the media and in video games as the areas of major concern, but to the surprise of the Canadian Council on Social Development and Family Services Canada who prepared the report, violence in sports and sibling violence did not register on parents’ radar screen. Only 30 per cent voiced some concern about sibling aggression, which has been described as the most common form of family violence – at times physically dangerous and damaging over the long term. And despite highly publicized cases of so-called rink rage where parents have assaulted or shouted obscenities at minor hockey officials, just over half of parents interviewed expressed any concern about sport violence.

"Our research shows that pressure 'to win at all costs' is widespread in sports programs, pushing children to violence which causes low self-esteem, anxiety and aggressive behavior – yet most parents did not cite violence in sports as a cause for concern" says Paul Roberts, Senior Researcher for the CCSD.

Another finding that gave researchers pause was that despite a high, generalized level of concern by parents about their children’s exposure to violence, many have not grasped the scope of the problem. "They do not seem to recognize that their kids face a steady onslaught of aggressive images and incidents that are inter-related and can have cumulative effects on their children," said Roberts.

Moreover, many parents felt nothing could be done to avert the violence or mitigate its effects. The report concludes that, on the contrary, parents can minimize both the extent and the impact of the violence. In sports, parents can contain their own combative impulses and instead work with coaches to ensure that enjoyment of the game is the primary focus. In schools, parents can work with educators to create effective anti-bullying programs. At home, parents can model good behavior, not tolerate sibling violence, and set clear rules about media consumption. There is strong evidence that parents who exercise discipline over their children’s television watching habits significantly decrease the negative effects of television.

"Parents don’t have to accept bullying and incessantly violent entertainment as an inevitable part of growing up," says Maggie Fietz, President and CEO, Family Service Canada. "Our research shows that, on the contrary, parents can intervene to spare their children the ill-effects of exposure to violence, which are deep and long-lasting."

The report, based on a literature review, a national survey of 1000 parents, focus group discussions and a forum of experts, is available on the CCSD web site at www.ccsd.ca.

For more information, contact Janet Creery, Communications Officer, CCSD, (613) 236-8977 extension 228.

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Children's Exposure to Violence - Related Material

Canadian Council on Social Development, 190 O'Connor Street, Suite 100, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2R3
Tel: (613) 236-8977, Fax: (613) 236-2750, Web: www.ccsd.ca, Email: council@ccsd.ca