Superheroes a bad influence on children?

Superheroes are great models for children aren’t they? No. Podiatrists says that good guys in movies are often much more violent than the bad ones.

While superhero movies most often portray good triumphing over evil, new research shows that such movies actually send a dangerous message to the young, making a virtue out of violence.

An analysis of ten superhero movies filmed in 2015 and 2016 shows that the protagonists engaged in violence 23 times in an hour on average, whereas the antagonists only made 18 violent acts in the same amount of time.

Surprisingly, the protagonists also committed more murders.

Male superheroes engaged in violence five times more frequently than female ones.

– Children and adolescents see the superheroes as good guys, and may be influenced by their portrayal of risk-taking behaviors and acts of violence – Robert Olympia, MD, a Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine & Pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine and the leading author of the study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics.

To help counteract the negative influence superhero films may have on children, the study's principal investigator, John Muller, suggests families watch them together and talk about what they see.

superheroes

influence of superheroes on children

Robert Olympia

Penn State College of Medicine

American Academy of Pediatrics