“Desensitization is really useful in certain circumstances in the general population; it’s actually a really bad thing to be desensitized because it makes you undervalue other people's pain.” —Douglas Gentille, PhD

I've been thinking a lot about violence and video games and the shows that kids are watching these days. What are true outcomes related to our new violent media age, and what are myths? Many parents have recently told me that they've allowed their kids to play games that they wouldn't have before COVID just because it has been such a source of connection and entertainment.

Just yesterday, I finished creating a podcast episode of my interview with one of my favorite researchers in this area, and I am so excited about it that I decided to give you some key takeaway points from it. Douglas Gentile is a child psychologist and professor at Iowa State University and has spent over 25 years researching topics around violent video games and shows.

My hope (and ask) is that you might, right now, click here to subscribe to The Screenagers Podcast. Then you will have it on your phone or computer and later can listen alone or, better yet, with your kids and teens. No matter what age your children are, whether they play or watch anything violent, this is a great podcast for family discussions about how what we see impacts all of us.

Before we dive into this TTT, let me say that issues around video gaming are so important that I made sure to include a lot about the topic in my new book, Parenting in The Screen Age. On Wednesday, Feb 3rd, I am hosting a Chapter Club online event centered around Video Gaming during COVID, sign up here.

So back to the podcast. In it, Dr. Gentile and I discuss one of his most influential studies, which was conducted over three years with 3,000 kids. Fascinating results! We also discuss the upsides and downsides of being desensitized to violence and aggression. Dr. Gentile ties in issues around desensitization to what happened at the Capitol on January 6th, making this episode particularly timely.

You will hear much more in the full 18-minute podcast like my takes on violence, a parenting mistake Dr. Gentile made, and ways to get your kids to become more mindful about how media can impact them (clue: think younger siblings and cousins).