FTC
Accepting Complaints About Violent Entertainment
Marketed to Kids
Consumers who have complaints about violence
in movies, music, and electronic games -
including video games - that are marketed
to children can tell it to the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer
protection agency.
The FTC is accepting complaints
about the advertising, marketing, or sale
of violent entertainment products to children
either online at www.ftc.gov (select media
violence in the line marked "Subject
of Your Complaint"), or by telephone,
through the agency's toll-free consumer
helpline at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
More information about the ratings is at
www.ftc.gov/ratings.
The agency is tracking
complaints based on:
Content. You believe
the content of the ad for an entertainment
product is inappropriate or unacceptable
for children.
Placement. You believe
an ad for a video game, film, or recording
is running at a time or in a place you
think is directed to children. For example,
you might complain about an ad in a children's
magazine for an R-rated movie.
Ratings. You believe
that the rating for a movie, video game,
or recording is not an accurate reflection
of the content it contains.
Cross-Marketing. You
believe that a company is cross-marketing
a violent entertainment product to a young
audience. This might include marketing
action figures from an R-rated movie to
small children, or marketing a video game
based on an R-rated movie to kids.
Products Sold to Children.
You believe a child was sold, rented,
or otherwise allowed to view an entertainment
product, despite a rating that it may
not be appropriate for children. This
might include complaints about retail
outlets that allow under-age children
to buy music or games that are rated or
labeled for an older audience, or theaters
that allow under-age children to buy tickets
to an R-rated film without a parent or
guardian.
For Complaints
About the Content of Television Programming:
Consumers who have complaints about the
content of television programming should
direct them to the Federal Communications
Commission at www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive
and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information
to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a
complaint or to get free
information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov
or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The
FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related
complaints into
Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil
and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.