A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan has concluded that repeated exposure to violent television and video games has a stronger influence on people’s aggressive behavior, leading to substance abuse or becoming abusive adults.

"Exposure to violent electronic media has a larger effect than all but one other well-known threat to public health. The only effect slightly larger than the effect of media violence on aggression is that of cigarette smoking on lung cancer," said L. Rowell Huesmann, director of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the University of Michigan.

Brad Bushman, a professor of psychology and communications studies and a research associate at the University’s Institute of Social Research, helped Huesmann in his study. The study based on the review of 50 years of research on TV, movie, video games and Internet violence.

According to Huesmann children spend an average of three hours watching television every day; more than 60 percent of TV programs contain some violence, and about 40 percent contain heavy violence. The same thing happens when playing certain videogames.

"Children are also spending an increasingly large amount of time playing video games, most of which contain violence. Video game units are now present in 83 percent of homes with children," he said.

The recent findings support earlier research, which showed that children watching violence shows are more likely to develop aggressive behavior as adults.

“A high and steady diet of TV violence in early childhood increases the risk that both females and males from all social backgrounds will become violent, aggressive adults. Media violence can affect any child from any family, not just children who are already violence-prone,” Said Huesmann.

The findings of the study were published in a special Tuesday issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.