For Release: October
14, 2003
Results of Nationwide Undercover Survey Released
Results to Be Discussed at Workshop Scheduled
for October 29, 2003, on Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children
and Industry Self-Regulation
The Federal Trade Commission released its 2003 nationwide
undercover survey of stores and theaters, or “mystery shopper” study.
The survey was conducted to collect data on the extent to which retailers prevent
children
from purchasing entertainment products that have been rated or labeled by entertainment
industry self-regulatory associations or entertainment producers as potentially
inappropriate for children. Commission staff, through a contractor, recruited
13 to 16-year-olds unaccompanied by a parent to attempt to purchase movie tickets,
movies on DVD, music recordings, and electronic games at 899 theaters and stores
in 39 states. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at
the Department of Justice funded the survey.
The 2003 survey shows that 69 percent of the teenage shoppers were able to
buy M-rated games; 83 percent were able to buy explicit-labeled recordings;
and 36 percent were successful in purchasing tickets for admission to an R-rated
film at movie theaters (see Table 1 below). For the first time, the
Commission also surveyed DVD retailers, where 81% of the teen shoppers were
successful in purchasing R-rated movies on DVD.
Table 1: Intersurvey Comparison
Was the shopper able to buy the product or admission
ticket? (Percent “Yes”)
Entertainment Product Type
|
2000 Survey Results
|
2001 Survey Results
|
2003 Survey Results
|
Movie Theater Ticket
|
46%
|
48%
|
36%*
|
Movie on DVD
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
81%
|
Music Recording
|
85%
|
90%
|
83%*
|
Electronic Game
|
85%
|
78%
|
69%*
|
* Denotes a statistically significant difference
from the 2001 survey. Data for comparison were not available for DVD retailers.
The teen shoppers also noted: 1) whether the store
or theater had signs, posters, or other information to inform customers about
the rating system or the seller’s
policy on rating enforcement; and 2) whether the cashier or clerk asked the
shopper his or her age before purchase (see Table 2 below).
Table 2: Availability of Rating Information/Age Question Results
Entertainment Product Type |
Does the venue provide information
about ratings or ratings enforcement? (Percent “Yes”) |
Did the cashier or clerk ask the
child’s age? (Percent “Yes”) |
|
Movie Theater Ticket |
Movie on DVD |
Music Recording |
Electronic Game |
|
2001 |
2003 |
59% |
62% |
n/a |
26% |
12% |
21%* |
26% |
27% |
|
2001 |
2003 |
39% |
48%* |
n/a |
19% |
10% |
13% |
21% |
24% |
|
* Denotes a statistically significant difference
from the 2001 survey. Data for comparison were not available for DVD retailers.
This survey is the third in a series conducted in connection
with the Commission’s
reports on the marketing of entertainment violence to children. The survey
results will be discussed at the Commission’s day-long workshop to be
held on October 29, 2003. The goal of the workshop is to address the state
of self-regulation in the entertainment industry, including children’s
access to products that have been rated or labeled as potentially inappropriate
for them.
The workshop panels will feature members of entertainment
industry groups, rating and labeling organizations, retailers and retailer
trade associations,
parent and consumer advocacy groups, and other interested parties. There also
will be an overview of the research on the effects of violent media on children.
The workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to engage in dialogue
about working together to ensure that the
rating and labeling systems are accurate and useful, that parents are informed
about these systems, and that limits on children’s access to entertainment
that may be inappropriate for them are effective.
The workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on October 29, 2003
at the FTC Conference Center located at 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington,
D.C. It is open to the public, and there is no attendance fee.
A detailed agenda for the workshop is available on
the Commission’s
Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/violence/index.html.
This Web page also provides links to the Commission’s prior reports on
the marketing of violent entertainment products to children and other related
documents.
Documents relating to the Commission’s review of the marketing of violent
entertainment products to children are also available from the FTC’s
Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and
from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. 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 any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP
(1877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. 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.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Cathy MacFarlane
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-3657
STAFF CONTACTS:
Richard Kelly
Division of Advertising Practices
202-326-3304
Mark Eichorn
Division of Advertising Practices
202-326-3053
(http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/10/shopper.htm)
|