For Release: September
11, 2000 FTC Releases Report on the Marketing of
Violent Entertainment to Children
Study Finds Companies in Motion Picture, Music Recording and
Electronic Game Industries Routinely Target Children Under 17; Retailers Make "Little
Effort" to Restrict Access to Violent Material
Commission Calls for Additional Industry Steps to Improve
Existing Rating Systems
The Federal Trade Commission today released its report titled "Marketing Violent
Entertainment to Children: A Review of Self-Regulation and Industry Practices in the
Motion Picture, Music Recording & Electronic Game Industries." The Report was
conducted in response to a request from President Clinton on June 1, 1999, as well as
similar requests from Members of Congress, to answer two questions about the marketing of
violent entertainment material: Do the industries promote products they themselves
acknowledge warrant parental caution in venues where children make up a substantial
percentage of the audience? And are these advertisements intended to attract children and
teenagers? The report found that "for all three segments of the entertainment
industry, the answers are plainly 'yes.'"
The report finds that while the entertainment industry has taken steps to identify
content that may not be appropriate for children, the companies in those industries still
routinely target children under 17 in their marketing of products their own ratings
systems deem inappropriate or warrant parental caution due to violent content. The FTC
found evidence of marketing and media plans that expressly target children under 17, and
promote and advertise products in media outlets most likely to reach children under 17.
The report also publishes an FTC survey that shows children under 17 are frequently able
to buy tickets to R-rated movies without parental accompaniment and purchase music
recordings and electronic games with parental advisory labels or are restricted to an
older audience.
In response to these findings, the Commission recommends additional action by the
industry to enhance their self-regulatory efforts. The report makes no legislative
recommendations to Congress on this issue.
According to FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky, the report illustrates clear shortcomings in
industry efforts to limit access to age-inappropriate material to children.
"Companies in the entertainment industry routinely undercut their own rating
restrictions by target marketing violent films, records, and video games to young
audiences. These industries can and should do better than this report illustrates."
The report makes the following key findings about the marketing of violent
entertainment material by the industry:
Movies: Of the 44 movies rated R for violence the Commission selected
for its study, the Commission found that 35, or 80 percent, were targeted to children
under 17. Marketing plans for 28 of those 44, or 64 percent, contained express statements
that the films target audience included children under 17. Plans for the other seven
movies were either extremely similar to the plans of the films that did identify an
under-17 target audience, or they detailed plans indicating they were targeting that age
group, such as promoting the film in high schools or publications with majority under-17
audiences.
Music: Of the 55 music recordings with explicit content labels the
Commission selected for its review, the Commission found that all were targeted to
children under 17. Marketing plans for 15, or 27 percent, expressly identified children
under 17 as part of their target audience. The documents for the remaining 40
explicit-content labeled recordings did not expressly state the age of the target
audience, but detailed plans indicating they were targeting that age group, including
placing advertising in media that would reach a majority or substantial percentage of
children under 17.
Games: Of the 118 electronic games with a Mature rating for violence,
the Commission selected for its study, 83, or 70 percent, targeted children under 17. The
marketing plans for 60 of these, or 51 percent, expressly included children under 17 in
the target audience. Documents for the remaining 23 games showed plans to advertise in
magazines or on television shows with a majority or substantial under-17 audience.
In addition to the information gathered on marketing, the FTC conducted studies from
May-July 2000 on children's ability to buy violent entertainment material, which found
most retailers make little effort to restrict children's access to products with violent
content. Just under half the movie theaters admitted children ages 13 to 16 to R-rated
films even when not accompanied by an adult. The surveys also revealed that unaccompanied
children ages 13 to 16 were able to buy both explicit recordings and Mature-rated
electronic games 85 percent of the time.
Self-regulation is especially critical in this area, given the First Amendment
protections that prohibit government regulation of these products' content. While the
industries reviewed have taken positive steps to address some of these concerns over the
last year, the Commission believes that all three industries should do more to enhance
their self-regulatory efforts. The industry should:
Establish or expand codes that prohibit target marketing to children and
impose sanctions for violations. All three industries should improve the
usefulness of their ratings and labels by establishing codes that prohibit marketing
R-rated/M-rated/explicit-labeled products in media or venues with a substantial under-17
audience. In addition, the Commission suggests that each industry's trade associations
monitor and encourage their members' compliance with these policies and impose meaningful
sanctions for non-compliance.
Increase compliance at the retail level by checking
identification or requiring parental permission before selling tickets to R movies, and by
not selling or renting products labeled "Explicit" or rated R or M, to children
under 17.
Increase parental understanding of the ratings and labels by
including the reasons for the rating or the label in all advertising and product
packaging. The Commission also calls on the industry to continue efforts to educate
parents -- and children -- about the meanings of ratings and descriptors.
According to the Commission, implementation of these suggestions would significantly
improve the present self-regulatory regimes: "Self-regulatory programs can work only
if the concerned industry associations monitor compliance and ensure that violations have
consequences." In addition, the Commission believes that "continuous public
oversight is also required and that Congress should continue to monitor the progress of
self-regulation in this area."
The report was approved by the Commission by a vote of 5-0. |