It's not your imagination: If you've been feeling that it's hard to find a movie that doesn't involve crime, suspense and murder, you're right. A new study reports that over the course of the past 50 years, violent language and events in films have been on a rampage.

The results come from a global search for variations of the words “murder” or “kill” in a database of subtitles of the more than 160,000 English language films made between 1970 to 2020. The findings allowed researchers to calculate the amount of violent dialogue in the films.

References to killing and murder in movie dialogue occur far more frequently than in real life and are increasing over time.

It's not just crime movies that were full of this kind of homicidal language. It turned out that a wide-range of genres use violent language as well. Characters in non-crime movies also talked about killing and murdering more than they did 50 years ago, Brad Bushman, corresponding author of the study and professor of communication at Ohio State University, explained.

About 7 percent of movies had murderous verbs over the period studied, the team estimated. They also pointed to another growing trend: the use of murderous verbs by female characters.

“Our findings suggest that references to killing and murder in movie dialogue not only occur far more frequently than in real life, but are also increasing over time,” said Babak Fotouhi, lead author of the study and adjunct assistant research professor in the College of Information at the University of Maryland. “This is more evidence that violence is a bigger part of the movies we watch than ever before.”

Professor Bushman warned: “Although exposure to violence can harm viewers of all ages, I am especially concerned about children.” Nor does he think we've reached a peak. He suspects that violent language on screens will continue to increase.

Even though the rise in violent language is noteworthy, it wasn't the intention of the researchers to show big numbers. “We designed this to be a conservative estimate,” said Fotouhi. “It is likely there was more violence in the movies than what we calculated in terms of dialogue.”

It's not just crime movies that are full of homicidal language. Characters in non-crime movies also talked about killing and murdering more than they did 50 years ago.

With brutal language so prevalent, not only in movies but in all media, how can you prevent your kids from being exposed to it and negatively affected? Experts suggest:

  • Choose age-appropriate content. Select shows, movies and games that are designed for your child's age group and avoid content with excessive violence.
  • Use parental control features on devices to filter out inappropriate content and monitor what your child is accessing.
  • Watch movies or TV with your child, using it as an opportunity to talk about the content and its impact.
  • Limit children's exposure to violent news. Be mindful of news programs that may contain graphic violence, and discuss the events in a calm and age-appropriate manner.
  • Encourage participation in sports, hobbies and other non-screen activities to balance media consumption.
  • Talk with your child about media violence and their feelings about it. Address any concerns they may have.
  • Be a positive role model. Demonstrate healthy media habits yourself by being selective about what you watch and avoiding excessive screen time.
  • Be informed. Stay up-to-date on the latest trends in media content and the potential impact on children.
  • Don't hesitate to get professional advice if you are concerned about your child's behavior or exposure to media violence.

The study is published in JAMA Pediatrics.