Opinion Editorials
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Stop Marketing Violence
October 1, 2000
Earlier this month the Federal Trade Commission released a report --requested by President Clinton after the tragic shootings at Columbine -- that examined the marketing practices of the motion picture, music, and video game industries. The results were shocking.The report exposed "extensive marketing and, in many instances, explicit targeting of violent R-rated films to children under the age of 17, and violent PG-13 films to children under 13." Of the 44 R-rated films studied by the Commission, 80 percent were targeted to children under 17. One particularly disturbing quote from a marketing plan for an R-rated movie sequel states: "..it seems to make sense to interview 10 to 11 year olds ... In addition, we will survey African-American and Latino moviegoers between the ages of 10 and 24." In the motion picture industry, this is the equivalent of racial profiling.
The studios ran ads heavily during television programming such as The Simpsons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek, Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules, and WWF Smackdown: programs with some of the highest under-17 viewership. Web sites like happypuppy.com were used to attract kids. The comic books and the school house couldn't even protect our children from the studio hacks. Quoting from the report: "Magazines with majority under-17 audiences, such as Teen .. DC Comics Teen, or Marvel Comics, contained advertisements for numerous R-rated films. The FTC's "Mystery Shopper Survey" sent kids 13 to 16 years old to 395 theaters. 46 percent of the time these kids were able to purchase tickets to R-rated films.
I want to make clear that neither this report nor I intend to make the case for censorship. I make no threat against the First Amendment. What is in question is not government censorship, but corporate responsibility.
On Wednesday, executives of the major motion picture studios appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee, of which I am the Chairman, to explain their actions. At the hearing, several of the studios made substantial commitments to restrict the marketing of R-rated films to children, among them Fox, Warner Brothers, Disney, and Dreamworks. I intend to follow through with these companies to ensure that they keep their promises to the American people.
However, sadly, the remainder of the studios continue to hide behind a Motion Picture Association of America, 12-step program that is riddled with loop holes and hollow promises. Principle among these is a failure commit not to market R-rated films to children under the age of 17. In a striking exercise in verbal acrobatics, the industry promises "to further the goal of not inappropriately specifically targeting children." Amazing. Washington is a town where people debate what the definition of "is" is. People could debate "inappropriately specifically," for a lifetime. It is grossly inadequate.
The motion picture industry must make several unequivocal commitments. First, they must commit not to target advertising for R-rated films to children under the age of 17. They must make a commitment not to include children in focus groups for films, and advertisements for R-rated films. The studios must agree not to run television ads in programs, or in other venues, where children comprise a substantial portion of the audience. They must agree to include content information in advertising messages to help inform parents of the reasons for a film's "R" rating. They must demand that theaters running their R-rated films strictly enforce age restrictions, and not to run R-rated trailers during "G" and "PG" rated films.
Motion pictures have to ability to elevate and inspire us. To weave wonderful tales, and to record our history. Clearly though, such is not the case. It is not the parlance of government to decide what the studios produce. But it is the responsibility of every studio not to market films they, themselves, deem inappropriate, to children. This duplicity must end.
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