Editorial: Industry conduct is an outrage

Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2000 | 9:42 a.m.

The Federal Trade Commission's just-released investigation into the marketing of movies, video games and music paints a disturbing picture. Internal records obtained by the FTC show that many entertainment companies are luring children into watching or using their violent products despite their own industry ratings that say they're only meant for adults.

One company memo revealed that its chief audience to sell mature-rated video games (those 17 and older) was in fact boys 12-17. The memo also noted that even with the M rating, "the younger the audience, the more likely they are to be influenced by TV advertising." Meanwhile, a marketing plan for an R-rated movie acknowledged that its intent was to "make sure everyone between the ages of 12-18 was exposed to the film." That's not all. The FTC said of the 44 R-rated movies it reviewed, 35 were targeted for children under 17. And of the 118 video games carrying an M rating, 83 were marketed for children under 17. The FTC also reported that all of the 55 music recordings with explicit-lyrics labels were targeted for those under 17. It sounds as if the companies were receiving advice from the tobacco industry on how to market their wares to children.

There is no excuse for companies to engage in such deception. Parents rely heavily on these industry-created ratings to help guide them as to what their children should watch. Yet these ratings are a charade since entertainment companies undermine their purpose by using advertising to get these children to buy video games or watch movies -- laden with violence -- never intended for them.

Parents have it tough enough policing what their children see in this anything-goes society, so the companies' two-faced behavior is reprehensible. But Congress should refrain from trying to regulate the content of movies, video games and music, acknowledging the free speech issues here. Still, constitutional protections don't mean that it's right for the entertainment industry to peddle violent products to children. The industry immediately should stop this devious marketing.

While companies should behave more responsibly, parents, who haven't already done so, should take the results of the FTC probe as a wakeup call, too. Parents should be more involved, responsibly screening what movies their children watch and what video games they're playing. After all, they shouldn't place too much faith in the goodness of an industry, which is chasing the almighty dollar, to level with them about what's appropriate for their children.