Editorial: Keep remotes in parents’ hands

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006 | 7:29 a.m.

Cable and satellite TV providers, under criticism from some members of Congress for what the lawmakers view as indecent programming, recently announced that they would offer family-friendly packages that viewers could purchase. The channels in these packages typically would consist of fare such as the Disney Channel.

But not even these efforts appear to be winning praise from Capitol Hill. This past week senators who are members of the Commerce Committee, which oversees the broadcast industry, criticized some of the family-friendly packages, noting that they didn't include sports channels, such as ESPN, and news channels, such as CNN.

Critics of the cable and satellite companies have questioned the sincerity of the cable and satellite providers, suggesting that this effort is a way to get lawmakers off their backs. These skeptics say that omitting popular sports channels would make a family-friendly package unmarketable, ultimately dooming it to failure.

We agree that there is a great deal of programming that is totally inappropriate for children, but do we really want Congress getting further involved in parenting? Most TV sets have a V-chip, which allows parents to block objectionable channels. For that matter, shows carry a rating, and parents should monitor what their children are watching.

Turning off the TV set is the simplest and best answer when violent, foul-mouthed shows air. Decisions about what a child should watch should be made by parents, not by Congress.