In Chapter 5 of W. James Potter's Media Literacy, he examines children as a special audience and how they are perceived by the public and policy making institutions.
The argument made in the chapter is that children, in general, should be sheltered from specific media based on the idea that they lack the maturity or experience to fully comprehend this media and its messages. It is believed that because children are going through cognitive, emotional, and moral developments, there needs to be regulations on media targeted at children. This ranges from various kinds of content censorship to advertisement regulations and beyond.
The argument made in the chapter is that children, in general, should be sheltered from specific media based on the idea that they lack the maturity or experience to fully comprehend this media and its messages. It is believed that because children are going through cognitive, emotional, and moral developments, there needs to be regulations on media targeted at children. This ranges from various kinds of content censorship to advertisement regulations and beyond.
All television programming, movies, and video games have a rating system they abide by. There are limitations on the length and content of commercial advertisements. There are "Parental Advisory" stickers on CD's with objectionable material. We now have content filters on our TV's and computers, acting as digital locks to keep children away from whatever material we want. All of these things are an attempt to protect the kids.
However, Potter argues that these media regulations are futile without media literate parents to understand and enforce them. And it is his belief that the majority of parents are not paying close enough attention to the media their children are consuming. I must say, that I agree wholeheartedly with him on this one.
And with that, I present you with this video.
This is something that I've encountered an innumerable amount of times. Young children are frequently playing games and interacting on Xbox Live in an environment way above what is suitable for their age.
For starters, the game in this video is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) for Blood, Drug References, Intense Violence, and Language. The sale of M rated games is prohibited to anyone under the age of 17. So, in order for a young child attain such a game to begin with, someone has to be ignoring or turning a blind eye to the system, be it a parent or retailer.
Secondly, because these are online multiplayer games, any young child with access to an internet connection has the capability to enter into gaming sessions with much older users. This, in turn, subjects young gamers to even more explicit and age inappropriate content beyond the language, killing, blood, and gore that comes pre-packaged in the game.
Lastly, the worst part of this, and you will notice it in the video, is that children learn to conform to this environment. They get desensitized to the blood and violence and adopt a lot of the more colorful language that is used. All the while, seemingly good parents all over the world are either ignorant or turning a blind eye.
This is by no means a call to arms, and I am most certainly not a strong advocate of censorship. However, I do believe that certain content is inappropriate for some children, and, determining what is and isn't appropriate should never be solely based on a child's age. Parents have to understand that children develop and experience at different rates. There may not be an exact science to it, but having caring, aware, media literate parents would make a world of difference.
However, Potter argues that these media regulations are futile without media literate parents to understand and enforce them. And it is his belief that the majority of parents are not paying close enough attention to the media their children are consuming. I must say, that I agree wholeheartedly with him on this one.
And with that, I present you with this video.
This is something that I've encountered an innumerable amount of times. Young children are frequently playing games and interacting on Xbox Live in an environment way above what is suitable for their age.
For starters, the game in this video is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) for Blood, Drug References, Intense Violence, and Language. The sale of M rated games is prohibited to anyone under the age of 17. So, in order for a young child attain such a game to begin with, someone has to be ignoring or turning a blind eye to the system, be it a parent or retailer.
Secondly, because these are online multiplayer games, any young child with access to an internet connection has the capability to enter into gaming sessions with much older users. This, in turn, subjects young gamers to even more explicit and age inappropriate content beyond the language, killing, blood, and gore that comes pre-packaged in the game.
Lastly, the worst part of this, and you will notice it in the video, is that children learn to conform to this environment. They get desensitized to the blood and violence and adopt a lot of the more colorful language that is used. All the while, seemingly good parents all over the world are either ignorant or turning a blind eye.
This is by no means a call to arms, and I am most certainly not a strong advocate of censorship. However, I do believe that certain content is inappropriate for some children, and, determining what is and isn't appropriate should never be solely based on a child's age. Parents have to understand that children develop and experience at different rates. There may not be an exact science to it, but having caring, aware, media literate parents would make a world of difference.
Ratings and regulations are great, but without good parenting they can't be very effective.
A great tool I would recommend for interested parents would be CommonSenseMedia.com
It is a website that posts detailed content information on all kinds of media including movies, television programs, videogames, books, and even YouTube videos, and what general age level they are appropriate for. It's very interesting stuff. Parents, check it out.
Take care,
Dustin
It's true, not a single measure to regulate content will work unless the parents are willing to monitor the programs their children are watching or the games that they are playing. I myself am very active in what my children are exposed to; they cannot watch tv unless it has a g rating and can only play games like pokemon or disney princess. I don't even play games or watch tv with mature content unless they are out of the house or asleep.
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