When All TV Programs are Rated on Teen

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the implications of rating all TV programs on a single "teen" standard, as exemplified by the XYZ TV channel. This blanket rating can mislead parents, as it may prevent children from accessing age-appropriate content, such as cartoons, while exposing teens to potentially harmful material. The conversation highlights the inadequacy of applying a uniform rating to diverse programming, emphasizing the need for more nuanced classifications that consider the content's suitability for different age groups.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of TV program rating systems, such as those used by ESRB.
  • Knowledge of child development stages and their impact on media consumption.
  • Familiarity with the psychological effects of media exposure on teens.
  • Awareness of parental responsibility in media oversight.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the impact of media ratings on children's viewing habits.
  • Explore alternative TV rating systems that provide more specific age classifications.
  • Investigate parental controls and tools for managing children's media consumption.
  • Examine case studies on the psychological effects of violent media on teenagers.
USEFUL FOR

Parents, educators, child psychologists, and media regulators who are interested in understanding the implications of TV program ratings on youth development and media consumption.

bagasme
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Let's say that we have XYZ TV channel, which offers wide variety of programs; from cartoons for children to telenovelas to live sport coverage and news. However, the rating agency for TV programs and films (like ESRB for games) rated all such program on teen (suitable for age 13 and up). The channel then display that rating while airing (think as watermark/overlaid text).

Imagine that I have a daughter (she is children, not teen nor adult; she is 8). She wanted to watch XYZ channel's programs. Applying censorship based on rating displayed on the channel, I rejected her will because XYZ's programs are suitable for teens. Based on logic above, I only permitted watching XYZ if she was atleast teen.

However, rating TV programs on teen unconditionally (all programs) are bad idea, because:

1. If cartoons are classified as teen programs when those should be rated for children's age, children had to wait until their teenage, which in turn such programs may become unsuitable/off-topic for them.
2. If teens watch a film full of violence acts that should be rated on mature when it mistakenly rated on teen, they may be inclined to imitate such acts due to unstable psychological nature of teens. Are their parents responsible for legal troubles caused by their such actions?
3. It is pointless to rate news programs (even on teen). At best those should be rated as unrated.
4. Audience discrimination. This behavior tends to discourage (or the worst, exclude) childrens from watching TV, giving false sense that only teens and adults should watch (due to large portion of programs rated on teen).

What do you think about the story above?
 
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Prepackaged meals often show a picture of the food inside, nicely arranged on a plate garnished perhaps with parsley or a lemon slice and the words "Serving suggestion". This doesn't mean that one cannot eat the food straight out of the package as is. The picture is just a suggestion. Likewise a TV rating is just a suggestion to parents whose responsibility is to oversee what their children watch. The parents presumably understand where their children are in their development and are, therefore, best qualified to follow or ignore ratings and approve or disapprove what they watch.
 
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