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SEPTEMBER 12, 2000

Violence in entertainment and how it is marketed to children is the target of a new federal report and the Al Gore Presidential campaign.

On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released its long awaited report on violence in the media. Requested by the Clinton administration in the wake of the deadly shootings at a high school in Columbine, Colorado, the report is highly critical of movie, music, and game makers for intentionally marketing their products to children.

In its report, "Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children: A Review of Self-Regulation and Industry Practices in the Motion Picture, Music Recording & Electronic Game Industries," the FTC studied 44 movies, 55 music recordings, and 118 games and found most were directed towards children under 17.

The FTC says these products were specifically marketed in magazines, on television shows, in web sites, and through other methods which have a significant youth viewership. For those with children or grandchildren, these marketing channels are probably very familiar.

MTV, with a core demographic of youth and young adults ages 12 through 24, was targeted by movie studios advertising R-rated movies, says the report. Movie theaters are supposed to refuse admittance to children under 17 who attempt to view R-rated movies without an adult.

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, Xena: Warrior Princess, and professional wrestling shows popular with children ages 6 through 11 were targeted by movie studios marketing PG-13 movies, according to the FTC. Parents are generally advised to consider not letting younger children attend movies with the rating.

Similarly, Internet sites like korn.com and limpbizkit.com, sites for two musical groups popular with children, were also targeted. The report says the music industry markets "explicit recordings," which typically contain vulgarities and other violent content, to children under 17 on these sites. An estimated 57 percent of visitors to limpbizkit.com are ages 12 to 17.

So what can concerned parents do about the types of material their children see? The report suggests that parents get a better understanding of the ratings system and labels on products.

How effective that might be is up for debate. On Good Morning America today, Hillary Clinton, a candidate for US Senate, said parents are presented with an "alphabet soup" of ratings and called for consistency among rating systems.

Vice-President Al Gore also wasted no time in using the report as a campaign issue while appearing on yesterday's taping of the Oprah Winfrey show. He likened the need for change in the industry to Winfrey's own decision to focus her talk show on more positive topics.

At the same time, he praised the self-made woman for being a one person "media conglomerate." The entertainment industry is the fourth largest contributor to Democratic interests. For Republicans, it is the 11th largest source of money, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan organization which tracks political contributions.

Gore and President Clinton have also suggested stronger regulation of the entertainment industry if they do not change their practices within six months. Currently, the ratings system is voluntary.

Entertainment leaders are expected to testify about the report and their practices before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. expected.

Get the Report:
Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children: A Review of Self-Regulation and Industry Practices in the Motion Picture, Music Recording & Electronic Game Industries (FTC September 2000)

Related Documents from the Government:
President Clinton announces new study to examine the marketing of violent media to children (The White House 6/99)
Remarks by The President and Mrs. Clinton on Children, Violence, and Marketing (The White House 6/99)
Letter from The President to the Attorney General and Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (The White House 6/99)
FTC to Conduct Study on Marketing Practices Of Entertainment Industry (The FTC 6/99)

Relevant Links:
The Federal Trade Commission - www.ftc.gov
The Department of Justice - www.usdoj.gov
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation - www.senate.gov/~commerce

Related Stories:
FTC says violence made for children (The Medicine Wheel 08/28)