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What Cause Kids To Kill?

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What causes kids to kill? Is it the parents fault? Is is caused by bullying or are these kids just born evil? Since 2013, there have been at least 175 school shooting in America alone. Some of the most well known ones are Columbine, Sandy Hook, and Virginia Tech. Criminal psychologists have been trying to find what causes kids to resort to violence for many years but still don’t have a concrete answer.

Parental Influence and/or Child Abuse
Despite what has been studied, most people blame the parents for the kid’s violent outburst. While this could be a factor it is most likely not the main cause. Neuroscientists have concluded that the reason why kids behave anyway is a complex mixture between nature and nurture. “Nature” refers to traits/characteristics …show more content…

Studies have shown that people with constant exposure to violent video games have higher levels of aggression but are unsure if the video games are causing it or if the kids are playing the games because of a preexisting interest in violence. While most people consider violent video games to be dangerous because they show kids how to commit violence, I personally think the main problem is it desensitizes kids to morbidly serious things like guns and bombs. Bruce Bartholow, an associate professor of psychology at MU, says “The brains of violent video game players become less responsive to violence, and this diminished brain response predicts an increase in aggression.” However another study from Dr. Andy Przybylski at Oxford University’s Internet Institute says, “The fact that the study had not found evidence of a link between violent games and real-life aggression did not mean it does not exist but academics are divided about the possible effects.” So the link is most likely there but it has yet to be proven and differentiated from the effects of other types of video games. A big argument against this is that violent video games are extremely common and school shootings are extremely …show more content…

While on 23% of shooters had been treated for mental health problems before they committed the shooting, over 60% more were proven to have them afterwards. (Mental health issues can only be determined if the perpetrator lived.) And another 15% showed signs but a certain illness could not be pinpointed. Young people with mental illnesses such as acute paranoid, schizophrenia, delusions, depression, and other forms of psychoses can not always tell fantasy from

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