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The TV Parental Guidelines
RATING LABELS
In 1996 Congress asked the broadcasting industry to establish a
voluntary ratings system for TV programs. The industry did so by
creating the ratings system known as "TV Parental Guidelines."
The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board makes sure that the
rating guidelines are applied accurately and consistently to television
programming.
Rating labels were created to help parents determine which programs
provide suitable viewing for their children.
Each label corresponds to the degree, if any, of the following content
contained in the designated program: Violence (V), Sex (S), coarse
Language (L), sexual Dialogue (D).
The rating labels appear in the corner of your television screen
during the first 15 seconds of each television program. They are
also included in the television listings of many newspapers.
Ratings are assigned to all television programming except news,
sports, and unedited movies on premium cable channels.
There are six possible ratings that a program can receive:
Parental Guidelines, at the start of every FOX program, let you
decide which shows are suitable for your family.
TV-Y Program deemed appropriate for all children, including
ages 2-6..
TV-Y7: Program designed for children age 7 and above. May include
mild fantasy or comedic violence.
General Programming:
TV-G: Program suitable for all ages, although not designed specifically
for young children. Contains little or no violence, no strong language
and little or no sexual dialogue or situations.
TV-PG: Parental Guidance Suggested. Program contains material
that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Program contains
one or more of the following: moderate violence (V), some sexual
situations (S), infrequent coarse language (L), or some suggestive
dialogue (D).
TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned. Program contains material that
many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of
age. Program contains one or more of the following: intense violence
(V), intense sexual situations (S), strong coarse language (L),
or intensely suggestive dialogue (D).
TV-MA: Mature Audience Only. Program specifically designed for
adult viewing, therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17.
Program contains one or more of the following: graphic violence
(V), explicit sexual activity (S), or crude indecent language (L).
The following are
three methods parents can use to block inappropriate television
programming: the V-Chip, the Cable "Lockbox", and Set-top
boxes.
THE V-CHIP
The V-Chip is a technology that electronically reads television
programming ratings and allows parents to block programs they believe
to be unsuitable for their children. Using the remote control, parents
can program the V-chip to block certain shows based on their ratings.
If your television is equipped with V-chip technology, the option
should appear as part of your television’s menu. Personal
computers that include a television tuner and a monitor of 13 inches
or greater are also required to include V-chip technology.
SET-TOP BOX
If your television does not contain the V-chip option, you can get
a Set-top box, which works the same way as a built-in V-chip.
THE “LOCKBOX”
This option, available to Cable subscribers, prevents viewing of
any channel on which objectionable programming may appear. Cable
operators are required to make “lockboxes” available
for sale or lease to customers who request them. “Lockboxes”
may also be purchased from other commercial distributors.
