Just as there are more tools to help monitor your child’s media use, there are also more opportunities for inappropriate material to sneak through.
A prime time television program that is rated G may contain commercials for R rated movies. And a PG show, which most parents may consider harmless may actually imply promiscuous sexual activity. Programs aimed at preteens and teens are rife with young extramarital sex and bizarre out of the norm activity, such as partner swapping. A few shows may even introduce the concepts of voyeurism or even pedophilia.
Take the recent Teen Choice Awards. While I did not watch this on television, so I am really not qualified to comment about it, I saw still shots of the event that disturbed me. Among them, scantily clad young stars and a photo opportunity that featured Miley Cyrus’s younger preteen sister and her friends posing with a stripper pole.
Now back to television. If you make use of the V-chip to help screen your children’s programming (S stands for sexual content), be aware that a study done last year shows that the rating is applied inconsistently and inaccurately, according to the Parents Television Counsel, a watchdog group. And the ratings may not apply to commercials.
Here is a quote from the Associate Press on the results of the survey. “The “family hour” — the first hour of prime-time TV, which draws the most young viewers — contained the highest ratio of references to non-married vs. married sex, the study found.”
Now, a couple of recent examples in my own household that illustrate how important it is to watch television and the Internet with your children, including the ads. In one example, we were all watching a cake building contest on the Food Network. The show went to commercial to show graphic scenes from a horror movie that scared me, an adult, let alone being inappropriate for the kids (we covered their eyes and ears). In another example, we were watching a very old rerun of Seventh Heaven, one of the most saccharine and family friendly shows out there. During the commercial break, we were prompted to watch excerpts of a new show that seemed to glorify teen pregnancy.
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!
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