1. TEMPLATE DESIGN © 2007 www.PosterPresentations.com Introduction Violent and sexual content within video games can affect teenagers in many ways and cause them to have problems such as mental health difficulties. Video games have existed since the 1950s, and as technology improved everyday, the content in video games started to change. Developers started to make their games more graphic so that they could attract more customers, specifically teens/kids. Teens/kids throughout the years have enjoyed playing these games such as the 1976 video game “Death Race”. But they and their parents do not consider the consequences that could occur with a small amount exposure to these type of the video games, much less an abundant amount of exposure. With multiple devices such as consoles and smartphones, these video games can be played anywhere at any time. Bans of Video Games State governments have started to recognize the strong connection between violent video games and the behaviors of teens who have played them. The state of California banned the sale of violent and sexual video games to people under the age of 18. The main purpose of the law was to prevent an event similar to the Columbine Massacre from occurring. Effects on Teens: Mentally Teens are still in the stage where their minds are still developing. They could easily be influenced by people and environments around them. The U.S. Surgeon General in 2001 reported that a connection was found between the increase of aggressive behavior in youth and violent video games. Then in 2012, Dowdell informed us of two teenage boys who spent $20,000 on their parents’ credit cards to feed their online porn addiction. Effects on Teens: Physically Teenage years are the best years for one to get fit and become physically healthy since the metabolism of young people helps them get into good physical shape at a much faster rate than adults. With violent video games attracting the attention of teenagers, they end up spending much more time playing them instead of developing their bodies to become healthy. Conclusion There is clear evidence that there is a connection between the violent and sexual video games and the behaviors of teenagers who play them. All of these terrible consequences can be prevented through monitoring, controlling, and teaching these teens. Parents can monitor which type of games they play, making sure that the game is within their target audience. Parents can control how much time they spend playing a video game a day, and teach them about the outside world, and what these violent and sexual video games are portraying. Through these steps, dangerous consequences can be prevented. This power lies within the parents. References Batman: Arkham City. October 18, 2011. Rocksteady Studios Dowdell, Andrew. (2012, May 13). Computer, Phones Bringing Smut Into Kids’ Homes. Sunday Mail (Adelaide). Economist. (2011, Dec 10). “No Killer App; Violence and Addiction”. Grand Theft Auto 4. April 29, 2008. Rockstar North Harvard Mental Health Letter. (2010, Sep 22). Violent Video Games and Young People. Hulaimi, Wan A. (2012, April 22). The Impact of Violent Video Games on Children. New Straits Times. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. June 3, 2008. Traveller’s Tale Feral Interactive. Snider, Mike. (2012, Dec 20). Bill to Focus on Video Game Violence. USA Today. Teenage Behaviors: The Dangers of Violent Video Games Mohamed Senior Capstone