A press release from Ohio State University proclaims that there is a broad consensus among researchers, pediatricians, and parents that "violent media" increases aggression in children.

This new study of research on the topic (based on a national survey) is headed by Brad Bushman, professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University. Bushman has been trying to make a correlation for years that video game playing can have real world consequences, though a lot of his research focuses on aggressive behavior.

In his new study, Bushman concludes that 66 percent of researchers, 67 percent of parents, and 90 percent of pediatricians "agree or strongly agree" that violent video games can increase aggressive behavior among children. While violent video games are mentioned, Bushman also points out that those surveyed believe that movies, TV programs, and Internet sites can also cause aggression in children.

"Some people claim there is no consensus about whether violent media can increase aggression in children, but this study shows that there is consensus, "said Brad Bushman, lead author of the study and professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University.

"As in most areas of research, there is not complete agreement. But we found the overwhelming majority of media researchers, parents and pediatricians agree that violent media is harmful to children."

The study is based on a survey of 371 media psychologists and communication scientists from three professional organizations; 92 members of the Council on Communication and Media of the American Academy of Pediatrics; and a nationally representative sample of 268 American parents.

Bushman conducted the study with Carlos Cruz, a doctoral student at Ohio State, and Mario Gollwitzer, a professor at Philipps University Marburg in Germany. The study appears online in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture.

Bushman does say that aggression doesn't necessarily equate to real world violence. In fact, he says violent acts are pretty rare.

"You cannot predict a shooting rampage just based on exposure to violent media or any other single factor," Bushman said.

You can read more about Bushman's study here.