News You Can Use
Parents must watch what their kids are watching
University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Susan Hughes
Aug. 7, 2006
STARKVILLE, Miss.-While responsible parents work constantly to shield their children from the real worlds of crime and violence, many often forget that modern home entertainment daily brings criminal and violent images into their homes.
"There has been legislation that creates tools for families to use, but most often ignore it," observes Kevin Williams of Mississippi State University, who has researched to subject. These tools include program-ratings systems designed to warn parents of potentially inappropriate contents, the communication faculty member adds.
While movies presented in theaters and on digital video discs have a familiar and generally simple rating system of "G" (approved for general audiences) through "NC-17" (no one under 17 admitted), television has adopted a very specialized categorization, Williams says. The TV system not only indicates the age appropriateness level of a program but also what kind of questionable content the program contains, he explains.
Williams urges parents to be proactive when choosing what is acceptable for their children. Most televisions now come equipped with a so-called V-chip that allows parents to block programs with ratings above a certain level. Satellite and digital cable providers also enable parents to choose specific child-friendly channels and block everything else.
Like TV, video games and music CDs have similar ratings and warnings indicating age-appropriate content. Many even feature parental advisory stickers.
"Parents need to know what their children are watching and playing," says Williams. "While some stores will not sell things that don't seem age appropriate, it is not the law. It IS [Williams' emphasis] the parents' responsibility to make that decision."
Parents seeking additional information on entertainment choices may visit www.tvguidelines.org/faqs.asp or www.keepkidshealthy.com/parenting_tips/kids_and_tv.html