child care - Digital Library Collections

THE STATE OF AMERICA'S CHILDREN YEARBOOK 1998
Box 6.1
Chll"re....... the Medl.
Children today are exposed to alarming amounts ofviolence and other inappropriate material in
television, movies, and popular music. They are also vulnerable to exploitation on the Internet.
While the mass media and computers can be marvelous tools for education and enjoyment,
they can also pose dangers to children.
Children and television violence. Two major developments in 1997 could herald better-quality,
less violent television for families-but only if parents hold the television industry accountable.
First, voluntary TV ratings that debuted in October provide both an on-screen age-advisory and
information about program content. A TV-Y7-FV rating, for example, indicates fantasy violence in
children's programming and recommends that viewers be at least 7 years old, and a TV-I4-V
denotes violence in general programming suitable for an audience over 14. The content information
was added only after sustained pressure from parents and child and family advocates.
Advocates demanded the use of the V and FV codes, in particular, because of the hundreds of
studies that link the viewing of violence to increased aggression, heightened fear, and reduced
sympathy for others' pain and suffering.
Despite this step forward, questions remain. Will all networks use the new ratings? (NBC and
BET still do not.) Will objective criteria be developed to help networks apply the same standards
in rating similar programs? Will parents use the rating system-and the V-ehip, expected in TV sets
sold in 1998 and later-to turn off violent and otherwise objectionable content? Advocates will
keep monitoring the implementation of the new ratings and will work with parents and the
industry to fine-tune them to meet families' needs.
A second development was the September 1 launch of the Ell rating, indicating educational
or informative programs for children, and the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
requirement that stations air at least three hours per week of such programs. It is hoped that
stations will respond with better (including nonviolent and noncommercial) shows for children,
and that families will eagerly and easily find them. The fall 1997 season contained some promising
programming, and with positive feedback from parents and continued FCC oversight, improvement
may be ongoing.
Children's safety on-line. The fust summit on children and the Internet was held in December
1997, bringing together political leaders, industry executives, and child and family advocates. The
summit focused on safety, particularly children coming into contact with pedophiles and pornography
on the Internet. Participants discussed some of the potential protections that are emerging:
filters available from software or Internet service providers, ratings of sites, and selected sites set
aside for children. Many who want to safeguard children see such tools as an important supplement
to legislative regulation-especially given that the Supreme Court struck down, on First
Amendment grounds, tbe indecency provisions in the Communications Decency Act of 1995.
Pressure remains on the public and private sectors to develop solutions that keep children safe
in cyberspace. Future Internet summits will focus on other critical issues, including universal
access for all children, good content for children, privacy concerns, and on-line commercial
marketing to children. Families can fmd information about Web sites for children and parents
through tbe Parent's Resource Network on CDF's home page: www.childrensdefense.org.
80 CHI L D R EN'S D E F ESE FUN D