Poll: Most see no link between violence, video games

A majority of Americans do not believe those who play violent video games are more likely to become violent in their everyday lives, according to a Pew Research Center poll. 

However, the survey released Tuesday showed that the public is divided. While 53 percent disagree on whether the activities are linked, another 40 percent agree that people who play violent video games are more likely to become violent. 

{mosads}Women, those who do not play video games, people aged 50 and older and Hispanics are most likely to see a link between violent video games and a person’s real-life behavior. 

People under the age of 30 and adults who play video games are the most likely to dismiss a link. 

The survey sampled 2,001 people in June and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent.

Violent video games have been a recurring source of U.S. debate in the past decade. 

The Supreme Court in 2011 struck down a California law on First Amendment grounds that imposed a hefty fine on stores that sold violent video games to minors. 

In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings in 2012, some lawmakers pushed legislation to study the effect of violent video games on behavior. However, much of the recent debate in the wake of mass shootings has dealt with gun control and mental health. 

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry notes that some studies have shown children exposed to violent media of any kind can be desensitized by it or show more aggressive behavior.