Understanding Media > Reason 3: Media exposure may affect children in negative ways Numerous studies from around the world show an association between children’s exposure to media and: obesity increased aggressive behavior desensitization to the pain of others anxiety, fears, and sleep disturbances risky health behaviors potentially decreased literacy possible attention deficit at school age CMCH research shows that even G-rated animated films and E-rated and T-rated video games portray surprising amounts of violence and substance use as normal behavior.

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