Mind the media violence: how on-screen brutality can affect kids

Earlier this month, the 15th anniversary of 9/11 was commemorated. With the coverage came its macabre imagery. The iconic picture of the falling man, in particular, was re-branded into our collective psyche. For those reluctant to click on the link, it depicts a man falling headfirst, on an apparently perfectly vertical angle, next to one of the twin towers. One of his legs is bent at the knee, giving him a jarringly casual air as he plummets to earth. If adults are disturbed by the photograph, which they are, imagine what it evokes in children.