Study: Lego Products are Becoming More Violent to Get Children’s Attention

Researchers from New Zealand say that Lego products are increasingly becoming violent to retain children’s attention.

A study from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand say that Lego products are increasingly becoming violent as toymakers engage in an “arms race” to lure children in the digital age.

Lead researcher Christoph Bartneck said that child’s play was becoming more violent, with more weapons among Lego’s building blocks and war-like scenarios in its themed kit sets.

“The Lego company’s products are not as innocent as they used to be. The violence in Lego products seems to have gone beyond just enriching game play,” he said.

The research which was published by online journal, PLOS One, saw the prevalence of bricks with weapons, such as a sword, a halberd and a lance since 1978. Today, the study found that almost 30 per cent of Lego sets contain at least one weapon brick.

The Denmark-based company also created set themes such as pirates, castles and Star Wars which introduced children to Lego handguns, cannons, harpoons, knives and lightsabers. However, neutral bricks that could be used to build larger weapons were not included in the study.

The researchers asked 160 adults to see catalogues from 1973 to 2015 and found that the participants noticed more violent imagery in the newer promotions.

“Currently, around 40 per cent of all pages contain some type of violence “” in particular, scenarios involving shooting and threatening behaviour have increased over the years.

“The chances of observing violence in a Lego catalogue pages has increased steadily by 19 per cent per year. The results from both studies, weapons count and perceived violence, showed significant exponential increases of violence over time,” the study said.

The study said Lego was simply reflecting a broader trend in children’s entertainment. “To catch the attention of their customers, toy manufacturers are similarly locked in a metaphorical arms race for exciting new products,” it said.

Mr Bartneck also made a separate research released in 2013 which found the number of angry expressions on Lego figures was increasing as the number of happy faces decreased.

Meanwhile, Lego spokesman Troy Taylor said that Lego products promoted a range of play activities such as construction, fantasy and conflict.

“As with other play types, conflict play is a natural part of a child’s development,” he said.

He said that the Lego weapons were always used for a broader purpose, such as saving the world, and character was emphasised over firepower.

“We always try and use humour where possible as it helps tone down the level of conflict,” Mr Taylor added.

Sources: Abc.net.au and Smh.com.au