PULL THE PLUG ON THE RATINGS

In June, 2007, the journal Pediatrics published an 800-word Letter to the Editor by Dr. Freed that encouraged the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to stop endorsing parents’ use of the entertainment industry ratings. Dr. Freed suggests that because the current ratings indicate glamorized media violence is appropriate for young children, parents should be advised to seek other information about media for their children.

Reflective of the problem are the video game ratings. The industry routinely gives an E rating—suggesting appropriate for children aged 6 years and up—to games that require players to hurt characters in return for reward or advancement. However, the public health community, including organizations such as the American Medical Association, has warned that exposing kids to such glamorized violence poses significant risks to their health.

Dr. Freed’s letter receives a favorable response from Michael Rich, MD, MPH, Director of the Center on Media and Child Health, Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rich’s reply—in the same issue of Pediatrics—states, “Allowing producers to rate their own product is akin to allowing butchers to certify the safety of meat. In no other aspect of practice would pediatricians recommend abandoning science and relying on the advice of those who stand to profit from children’s use of a health-affecting product.”

Because the entertainment industry’s ratings are not effective in protecting children from media violence, parents should look for other guidance when selecting media for their children—especially when kids are young. In brief, parents should be most concerned about media violence that is glamorized, or portrayed in a positive light. This can be done by showing that violence is rewarded or perpetrated by hero characters.