When was the last time you saw a blockbuster film that did n't include a gun ? It might be hard to remember . Americans love movies that depict violence , a new study shows ; 94 % of the most popular movies since 1985 contain at least one violent scene , and half of those involve a gun . For the study , published this week in the scientific journal Pediatrics , researchers analyzed the 30 top-grossing films every year from 1950 to 2012 . They identified violent sequences in each movie and noted whether the scenes included a character carrying a gun with the intention of harming or killing a living target . Since 1950 , violence in films has more than doubled , the study authors concluded . Perhaps more surprising is that gun violence in PG-13 films has tripled since 1985 , even exceeding the amount found in R-rated films in more recent years . `` Parents need to realize that just because a movie has been rated PG-13 does not mean that their 13-year-old should go to see it , '' study author Daniel Romer said . `` We would like to see Hollywood go back to labeling movies with lots of violence , and gun violence in particular , with an R rating , just like they have been doing for explicit sex all along . '' The average American sees seven movies in theaters every year , according to Nielsen 's 2012 American Moviegoing Report . Those rated PG-13 are often the highest-grossing , bringing in about 45 % of the market share . The Motion Picture Association of America first began using the PG-13 rating in 1985 . The rating urges parents to be cautious , saying `` some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers , '' but theaters do not check IDs for those seeing a PG-13 movie . And some worry that exposing children to violence on the screen may encourage them to act it out in real life . `` There has been a long line of research showing that continued exposure to screen violence among children , mainly on TV , predicts the emergence of later aggressive behavior , '' Romer said . `` We do n't know if seeing gun violence on the screen has a unique effect , but it is concerning considering that we have seen a rise in the use of guns in schools and other settings in recent years . '' Experts are still debating whether watching violent movies or playing violent games leads to real-life violence . In 2000 , a coalition of public health organizations , including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association , published a joint statement , saying science had clearly shown `` a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children . '' They said viewing violence led children to view aggressive acts as acceptable behavior and to become emotionally desensitized . The effects were `` measurable and long-lasting , '' according to the statement . Since then , several scientific studies have shown just the opposite . And the American Psychological Association has convened a task force to review the new evidence and potentially update its position . `` The problem is that people are looking for a yes-or-no answer ... when there is none , '' Brad Bushman , professor of psychology at Ohio State University , wrote in an opinion article for CNN . Bushman and his colleagues recently conducted a study that showed college students who played violent video games for 20 minutes at a time for three days showed more aggressive behavior each day they played . `` The argument I hear most often is that video games ca n't be dangerous because millions of people play these games without becoming violent , '' Bushman wrote . `` That 's because they come from good homes , are n't victims of bullying , do n't have mental health issues and do n't have many of the other risk factors for violence . But what about players who are already predisposed to violence ? '' Those who do n't believe a link exists have crime data on their side . Coinciding with the rise of violent video games and violence in movies is a significant decrease in juvenile violent crime . In 1993 , at the peak , teens aged 12 to 17 had a serious violent crime offending rate of 52 crimes per 1,000 juveniles , according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics . By 2011 , that number had dropped to just six crimes per 1,000 juveniles . While the study authors saw gun violence in PG-13 films triple , the same was not true for R- and G/PG-rated films . Violence in R-rated films held at a steady rate while G-and PG-rated films saw a decrease over the same time period .
Since 1950 , violence in films has more than doubled , a new study finds . Score: 6 Experts are still debating whether watching violence promotes it in real life .