What you watch affects what you are and what you become! Do we sound like a broken record? Yes, you’ve heard us say this before and we’ll say it again because it’s true and we care about you. Paul wasn’t put out to write the same things over again to the Philippians for their benefit (Phil. 3:1); Peter recognized the importance of reminding his readers by repeating himself (2 Pet. 1:12-14); and with the same frame of mind and passion we will continually remind our readers of the dangers (or benefits) to themselves and their children of what they see, read, watch, and are entertained by. What you put before your eyes matters!
To be forewarned is to be forearmed; YOU can help to arm others by joining the effort in bringing reform to the TV Content Ratings System by contacting the FCC.
Countless hundreds of thousands of younger and older children watch numerous television stations on smart phones and other devices daily. With the increase of harmful and potentially harmful media content and the increased availability and ability of viewing by children/teens, there is an even greater need for consistent and accurate ratings.
“In a study of 2,757 television programs, 79% of shows containing violence failed to include the V (violence) descriptor rating, 91% of shows with offensive language failed to include the L (offensive language) rating, and 92% of shows with sexual content failed to include the S (sexual scenes) rating (Kunkel et al., 2001). Ratings also have recently been criticized for a lack of temporal consistency, becoming more lenient over time (called “ratings creep”) (Gentile, 2008). Ratings creep can also occur for those who assign the ratings — the more violent and sexual videos they see, the more lenient the ratings they assign (Romer et al., 2014).” (from a letter a coalition of researchers sent to FCC and Congress)
You can help parents and children by contacting the FCC and letting them know that if ratings are going to be effective—AND THEY NEED TO BE—then these ratings must be useful to parents by being consistent and by accurately warning of content that can be either beneficial or harmful to their children. “For this reason, we are asking for the FCC and Congress to hold hearings on the ratings and how they could be changed to be valuable for the public.” (from the aforementioned letter)
We urge you to partner with the Parent Television Council in this effort. Here is a link (you may want to mute your computer) to the form WHICH MUST BE USED in contacting the FCC. On this page are simple instructions regarding how to make your voice heard by the FCC; and several comments are provided, as a resource, for you to make your concerns heard and understood.
Don’t delay; all comments must be in to the FCC by March 12, 2019 (next Tuesday). This means that concerned parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and concerned citizens only have a few days left to influence the FCC. It also means that Hollywood and their cronies have this same window; and you’d better believe that they won’t sit still!
Contact the FCC today and encourage others to do so too.
To support our efforts please click here or mail your gift to American Decency Association (ADA), PO Box 202, Fremont, MI 49412.
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