This theory suggests that audiences will copy what they see in the media. However, this is not so much of a theory as opposed to an assumption that has been blown out of contrast by the press.
Strengths: The main power and influence of this theory is how it psychologically prays off the fears and concerns of parents as well as many independent commissions other than the BBFC, and engages their parents to more actively monitor the media that they use. This not only covers movies, but also video games, especially with underage gaming on the rise, with games such as Modern Warfare 2 being predominantly played by young people as an example.
Weaknesses: The main weakness is the opinion of the people regulating their children, as the preconception of danger varies from person to person, so one person's horror movie is another's comedy. Additionally, while short term effects of the media are easily monitored, the long term are not so easily monitored, and therefore the theory cannot be proven correct. Thus leading to moral panic where people suspect that rap music can lead to gun violence for example.
Notable example(s): The most notable example as discussed earlier is the Bulger murder case. Additionally there are multiple cases of children with short tempers due to constant exposure to competitive and mature gaming, examples being Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto.
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