Parents Send Unmistakable Message to Congress: Keep Your Hands Off My Remote!

Parents Send Unmistakable Message to Congress: Keep Your Hands Off My Remote!

87 Percent of Parents Think They Do a Better Job of Protecting Kids Than the Government

CHARLESTON, S.C., June 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, TV Watch released a poll which undeniably shows that parents want to have control over their remote. Of those surveyed, 60 percent disagreed with the following statement: "The current parental controls and ratings systems have failed. It's time for government to step in and do more."

"Today, families have a variety of options at their fingertips to help them make television viewing decisions," said Jim Dyke, TV Watch Executive Director. "The explosion of available entertainment options has given families more TV viewing choices, while information and tools, such as TV program ratings and the V-Chip, have empowered parents to be in control of what their family watches."

The TV Watch poll results send a clear signal that that when it comes to making TV viewing decisions, parents oppose government regulation. In addition to TV Watch's own findings, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll indicates that nearly 3 out of 4 (71 percent) parents who have tried the V-Chip say they find it very useful, a higher proportion than for any of the media ratings or advisory systems.

"Results from both of these polls prove that parents have the information and tools needed to make and enforce their decisions," Dyke adds, "If parents can make these decisions and enforce these decisions, why should the government?"

Key Findings

-- 73 percent of parents monitor what their children watch, including 87
percent of parents whose children are ages 0-10.
-- 86 percent of parents believe that more parental involvement is the
best way to keep kids from seeing what they shouldn't see on
television.
-- 69 percent of parents were aware prior to the survey that all new
televisions 13 inches or larger contained a V-Chip.
-- Sexual Situations/Themes/Jokes/Innuendos are the single most important
reason parents would change the channel during a show their child was
watching.
-- 83 percent of parents are satisfied with the effectiveness of the V-
Chip and other blocking tools.

For full survey results, go to http://www.televisionwatch.org/junepollresults.pdf

TV Watch was launched in May 2005 and is the leading national organization to promote parental controls and individual choices as an alternative to increased government regulation of TV content. TV Watch is a nonpartisan coalition of 27 individuals and organizations including legal and entertainment experts and political and consumer organizations representing more than four million Americans. For more information about TV Watch, visit http://www.televisionwatch.org/ or contact Emily Tyner at (843) 722-9670.

Source: TV Watch

CONTACT: Emily Tyner of TV Watch, +1-843-722-9670,
emily@televisionwatch.org

Web site:

http://www.televisionwatch.org/

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