Ohio State study looks at how effective gun safety videos could be for children

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A recent study at Ohio State University found a possible way to reduce the risk of kids playing with guns -- through watching a short video about gun safety.

Children ages eight to 12, as part of the study, watched either a gun safety video or a car safety video at home. A week later, the children and their parents came to an Ohio State lab and were put in a room to play.

In the room, there was a filing cabinet with toys and games, like Jenga, Legos and play swords. In the bottom drawer were two real nine-millimeter handguns. The guns were not able to be fired, but there was a sensor inside each to see how many times the kids pulled the trigger. Kids who had watched the gun safety video were less likely to display unsafe behaviors.

“About 34% of the kids that watched the gun safety video came out and told us that there were guns in the room, whereas only about 11 percent of the kids that watched the car safety video came out and told us,” said Dr. Sophie Kjaervik, an Ohio State researcher.

The study also found that the kids who watched the gun safety video were less likely to touch the gun, hold it for longer amounts of time or pull the trigger.

“The findings that a one-minute gun safety video can reduce reckless behavior around guns really encouraged us to inform parents and teachers and other educators that you should really educate your kids about gun safety,” Kjaervik said.

Even though the video did not stop kids from playing with guns 100% of the time, she said, it did prove that a short video could be effective. Kjaervik also hopes parents will use this study to start a conversation with their children.

“Educate and talk to your kids about gun safety because it actually has an effect,” she said.

More information about this study and its findings is available here.