Violent Media Exposure and Bullying Behaviors: The Moderating Roles of Parental Monitoring, Emotion Regulation, and Gender

The influence of violent media exposure on the development of aggression has received increased attention in recent years. Research supports a relationship between exposure to violent media and aggressive behavior. Few studies have examined the relationship between exposure to violent media and a specific form of aggressive behavior, bullying. The current study aimed to expand on previous research by examining the relationship between the violent media exposure and self-, peer-, and teacher-reported bullying behavior using a longitudinal design with 457 3rd and 4th grade elementary students. Another aim of the current study was to examine the extent to which gender, parental media monitoring and children’s emotional regulation ability moderated the prospective relationship between the violent media exposure and bullying behavior. Findings from the current investigation did not support a positive relationship between violent media exposure and self-, teacher-, or peer-reported bullying behaviors. In fact, violent media exposure emerged as a significant, negative predictor of self-reported overt and relational bullying. There was no evidence that gender, parental media monitoring, or children’s emotional regulation ability moderated the relation between violent media exposure and bullying.