Includes bibliographical references and index.

Ch. 1. Are violent music lyrics and videos harmful? Overview : the relationship between rap music and violence is complex / Mark Asbridge, Julian Tanner, and Scot Wortley -- There is a link between violent lyrics and violent behavior / Matthew Robinson -- Music videos glorifying violence send the wrong message / Parents Television Council -- Listening to rap music does not make teens violent / Jennifer Copley -- Violence in music videos mirrors violence in society / Gil Kaufman -- Ch. 2. Is exposure to violence in television and movies harmful? Violent youth : the censoring and public reception of The Wild One and The Blackboard Jungle / Jerold Simmons -- Violence on television can contribute to aggressive behavior / Kyla Boyse -- The combination of humor and violence in television advertising is increasing / Benjamin J. Blackford, et al. -- Exposure to media violence increases aggressive and violent behavior / Craig A. Anderson and Soledad Liliana Escobar-Chaves -- Watching violent movies encourages teenagers to drink alcohol / Society for Prevention Research -- Taming baby rage : why are some kids so angry? / Nikhil Swaminathan -- Violence in the media has no negative effect on the general population / Tom Grimes, James A. Anderson, and Lori Bergen -- The research linking media violence to aggression is weak and ambiguous / Free Expression Policy Project -- Ch. 3. Are violent video games harmful? Overview : there are benefits as well as dangers from video games / Bill Jenkins -- The demise of guys' : how video games and porn are ruining a generation / Philip G. Zimbardo and Nikita Duncan -- Violent video games change young men's brainwaves / Rupert Shepherd -- Violent video games influence children to kill / Flare -- The dubious perils of Pac-Man / Timothy Maher -- Athwart : to save the dead-eyed child? / James Lileks -- Research reporting adverse effects of violent video games is flawed and possibly biased / John Walker -- Ch. 4. How should society respond to violence in the media? Parents need to monitor their children's media habits / Florence Cherry and Jo Ann Zenger -- Advocacy groups play an important role in developing media policies for children / Amy B. Jordan -- The motion picture production code is effective in restricting movie violence / Joel Timmer -- Movie ratings are an ineffective form of censorship / Nicholas Ransbottom.