FC: FTC report says violent video games, movies marketed to kids

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30303-2000Aug26.html

Violent Material Marketed To Youth

By Christopher Stern
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 27, 2000 ; A01

Movie studios, record companies and video game producers are
aggressively marketing violent entertainment products to children
even as they label the material inappropriate for young audiences,
a yearlong Federal Trade Commission investigation has found.

A draft report on the investigation shows that movie studios
advertised violent R-rated movies during television shows with
predominantly teen audiences. It also shows that producers of
violent video games touted products suitable for "mature" users in
magazines aimed at young teens, according to sources who are
familiar with the report's findings.

Investigators reviewed thousands of pages of internal documents
from the entertainment industry, including market research
showing that violent material is an effective lure to get young
people to buy movie tickets, music and video games, sources
say.

The FTC report, slated to be released next month, is likely to
reignite the debate between Hollywood and Washington over the
influence of media on the violent behavior of the nation's youth.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.)
is planning to conduct a hearing next month on the
still-confidential FTC report.

Vice presidential candidate Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.),
a frequent Hollywood critic, has expressed interest in testifying.
The senator will make a final decision about testifying once he
sees the results of the FTC investigation, according to Lieberman
spokesman Dan Gerstein. However, an appearance could put
Lieberman in a sensitive position because many of the high-dollar
Democratic contributors include movie studio and other
entertainment executives.

President Clinton ordered the FTC and the Justice Department to
conduct the investigation last year in the wake of a series of
school shootings, including the tragedy at Columbine High School
in Littleton, Colo., in which two students shot and killed 13
people and wounded others before taking their own lives.
Clinton's directive came after the Senate approved a similar
proposal authored by McCain, Lieberman and others.

FTC spokesman Eric London refused to comment on the
substance of the report prior to its public release. FTC
commissioners are still reviewing the staff conclusions, which are
subject to change.

In addition to surveying internal marketing documents, FTC
investigators also found that the content codes voluntarily
administered by the film, music and video game industries are
poorly enforced.

[...]





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