The U.S. National Institutes of Health has reopened an inquiry into the long-debunked claim that video games are a driver of gun violence, citing possible “connections with videogames, with social media” as contributors to mass shootings. Speaking at a September 10, 2025 press conference, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the department will fund fresh studies alongside investigations into psychiatric-drug use, according to reporting by PC Gamer.
Multiple longitudinal studies have already found no causal tie between violent video games and real-world aggression, and U.S. juvenile-crime rates have fallen roughly 50% since the 1990s while industry revenues quadrupled over the same period. Similar research released by the American Psychological Association likewise rejects any link between gaming and criminal behavior.
No new federal study has yet been published; the administration’s published “MAHA Strategy” document mentions only a future Surgeon General initiative on children’s screen-time, a post that remains unfilled. Observers note that countries with comparable or higher per-capita game spending, such as China and South Korea, record far lower firearm-related deaths, further undercutting the proposed connection.
