Should We Regulate Video Game Violence?

In a world of iPhones, social media, video games, and the latest technology, teenagers and children are captivated by the allure of media and technology. After the recent school shooting in Florida, the topic of video game violence and its impact on children and teenagers was addressed at a listening session at the White House. In searching for answers behind the shooting, President Trump suggested that violent video games be regulated.

In the 2011 Supreme Court ruling of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, it was decided that California law restricting sales of violent video games to minors violated the right to free speech. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi join Cheryl Olson, internationally-known researcher on video game violence, and Professor Kevin W. Saunders, author of the book Violence as Obscenity: Limiting the Media's First Amendment Protection, to discuss regulation of video game violence, the Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association 2011 ruling, the Supreme Court, and the impact of video games on children and teenagers.

Cheryl K. Olson is an internationally known expert on using media to change behavior (promoting mental and physical health) and effects of electronic media on children. Cheryl co-founded the Center for Mental Health and Media at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Professor Kevin W. Saunders is the Charles Clarke Chair in Constitutional Law at Michigan State University College of Law. Professor Saunders is the author of two books, “Violence as Obscenity: Limiting the Media's First Amendment Protection and “Saving Our Children from the First Amendment.”