Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of death, shooting, and violence.
RECENT incidents of school violence in the country have renewed debate over whether violent videos and video games contribute to youth aggression, but UST psychologists said such behavior cannot be traced to media consumption alone.
Associate Professors John Manuel Kliatchko and Rodel Canlas said youth violence is shaped by a complex interplay of personal, environmental, and social factors.
Concern intensified after a June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City left three students dead and 20 injured. Investigators linked the minor suspects to the gaming app GoreBox.
On July 31, a Grade 9 student was stabbed to death by a fellow student in Las Piñas City.
Another gun-related incident occurred at Ateneo de Zamboanga University on Aug. 18, where a shooting left two students dead and several others injured.
Kliatchko said discussions blaming violent media often rely on an overly narrow reading of psychologist Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, which is sometimes interpreted to mean that children simply imitate aggressive behavior they observe.
“Bandura’s theory is often interpreted too narrowly. It does not claim that children automatically imitate everything they see,” said Kliatchko, president of the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP).
He said Bandura’s concept of “reciprocal determinism” holds that behavior results from the continuing interaction of personal characteristics, the environment, and an individual’s actions.
“The difference lies not only in what they consume, but also in who they are, the environments in which they are growing up, and the protective factors that surround them,” Kliatchko said.
Canlas, former chair of the Department of Psychology, said children may also misinterpret ordinary behavior as hostility, prompting aggressive responses.
“Mga normal behavior ng mga tao nakapaligid sa kanila, they might misinterpret it as a form of hostile aggressive behavior towards them. And when they misinterpret it that way, somehow their tendency is to act aggressively [as well],” he said.
(They might misinterpret the normal behavior of people around them as a form of hostile or aggressive behavior toward them. When they interpret it that way, their tendency may also be to act aggressively.)
Multifaceted causes
Kliatchko said a child’s temperament, emotional regulation, family relationships, school environment, peer influences, and community all affect how media experiences are interpreted.
Canlas said violent behavior may also emerge from stressors faced by children, including undiagnosed mental health problems, bullying, and severe social rejection.
“When these individuals would do hostile or violent behavior towards others, it’s their way of retaliation against those individuals who have bullied them or caused them to feel social rejection,” he said.
Violent media
Children who already have aggressive tendencies may also respond differently to violent media, Canlas said, underscoring the importance of parental supervision and guidance in how children interpret what they watch and experience.
“According to decades of research, particularly conducted by the American Psychological Association, there is really no link between violent media and violent behavior,” Canlas said.
Kliatchko likewise said treating violent media as the primary cause of youth violence overlooks the broader factors involved in child behavior and psychological development.
“Violent media may play a role in some cases, but it is neither the sole nor the primary explanation for these tragic events,” he said.
Canlas said aggressive behavior following exposure to violent media may also be connected to other circumstances in a child’s life.
“Kadalasan, the reason why children and adolescents nowadays exhibit violent behavior kasi marami silang stressors sa buhay. They could also be traumatized and probably have access to weapons,” he said.
(Often, children and adolescents exhibit violent behavior because they face many stressors in life. They could also be traumatized and probably have access to weapons.)
Effects of prolonged exposure
Canlas said prolonged exposure to violent media may contribute to “negative attribution bias,” in which a person increasingly interprets harmless actions by others as threatening or malicious.
“Because of the changes in their cognition, na-que-question nila ‘yong motive ng mga tao sa kanila. Na ‘yong mga taong ‘to, pag lumalapit, pag nakangiti sa akin, genuine ba ‘yong intention nila? Or mayroon silang hidden agenda or malicious intention?” he said.
(Because of changes in their thinking, they begin to question other people’s motives toward them. When someone approaches or smiles at them, they may wonder whether the intention is genuine or whether the person has a hidden agenda or malicious intent.)
Canlas also cited sublimation, a psychological defense mechanism in which socially unacceptable impulses are redirected into more acceptable forms of behavior.
“Every one of us has aggressive tendencies. It’s just a matter of how you channel it,” he said. “Theoretically, through playing video games and even watching videos depicting violence, in a way, na-channel ‘yong mga hostile, aggressive, and even violent urges or tendencies.”
(Every one of us has aggressive tendencies. It is a matter of how they are channeled. Theoretically, playing video games and watching violent videos can, in a way, channel hostile, aggressive and even violent urges or tendencies.)
Kliatchko said excessive digital consumption may contribute to emotional desensitization or diminished emotional responses, but stressed that escalation into criminal violence would involve much deeper and more systemic factors.
Risk mitigation
The psychologists said sweeping bans on violent media would not address the underlying causes of youth violence.
“Banning violent media will never be enough to prevent youth violence. [We] fail to address the root cause [and] may also create greater interest among children to secretly access the restricted media,” Kliatchko said.
He said prevention should begin within the family through active parental involvement, open communication, and positive discipline rather than purely restrictive measures.
Canlas recommended an authoritative parenting style that involves children in household decision-making and encourages healthy dialogue to build trust and emotional self-regulation.
“Instead of the child holding those negative emotions inside of himself or herself, he has a safe space inside the family where he could actually vent out those emotions,” he said.
Schools likewise have a role in identifying behavioral warning signs before they escalate into violence, the psychologists said.
“The government can strengthen policy enforcement [on firearms and substance use] and [push] for hiring more mental health professionals for basic education settings,” Kliatchko said.
Canlas added that mental health professionals should strengthen their empathy and digital literacy to better understand the environments in which children and adolescents now interact.
The Psychological Association of the Philippines issued a statement on July 6 outlining academic frameworks and policy guidelines for addressing youth aggression.
