From Superman to Batman, many superheroes are idolised by children around the world.
But a new study suggests that ‘Good Guy’ superheroes may actually send a strongly negative message to children when it comes to violence.
Researchers from Penn State University have found that superheroes tend to be more violent than villains in films.
In the study, the researchers analysed 10 superhero-based films released in 2015 and 2016.
They classified the major characters as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’, and counted the number of violent acts carried out by each.
The results revealed that ‘good’ characters carried out an average of 23 violent acts per hour.
In contrast, ‘bad’ characters carried out an average of 18 violent acts per hour.
Dr Robert Olympia, who led the study, said: “Children and adolescents see the superheroes as ‘good guys,’ and may be influenced by their portrayal of risk-taking behaviors and acts of violence.
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“Pediatric health care providers should educate families about the violence depicted in this genre of film and the potential dangers that may occur when children attempt to emulate these perceived heroes.”
The researchers suggest that families should watch superhero films together, and talk about what they see.
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Mr John Muller, principal investigator on the study, said: “Co-viewing these movies as a family can be an effective antidote to increased violence in superhero-based films.
"In passively co-viewing violent media, there is an implicit message that parents approve of what their children are seeing, and previous studies show a corresponding increase in aggressive behaviour.
“By taking an active role in their children’s media consumption by co-viewing and actively mediating, he said, parents help their children develop critical thinking and internally regulated values."
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