A coalition of advocacy organizations, led by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, is asking the Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) to stop advertising movies rated PG-13 to young children.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission urged the MPAA to reconsider their guidelines on where and how PG-13 movies are advertised and marketed.

Trouble is, the MPAA doesn’t have any guidelines.

The advocacy organizations, including Parents for Ethical Marketing, would like to restrict advertising PG-13 movies during children’s TV shows, prohibit fast-food toy giveaways aimed at young children for PG-13 movies, and insure that any toys based on a movie are sold with an age recommendation consistent with the film’s rating.

Cheryl Lanza, a rep from the United Church of Christ, Inc., who also signed the request, says:

It is distressing that the industry response to parental concerns about media content is almost always to place the full burden on parents. These industry members essentially offer parents a Hobson’s choice: either expose your children to content that you find unacceptable, or withdraw your children from popular culture.  This serves no one. We all benefit with more mutual communication and understanding, not less.

Agree? Contact Dan Glickman, MPAA Chair and CEO, by calling (202) 293-1966 or faxing (202) 296-7410.

The letter to the MPAA was also signed by:

Action Coalition for Media Education
Alliance for Childhood
Benton Foundation
Center for a New American Dream
Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness
Commercial Alert
Concerned Educators Allied for a Safe Environment (CEASE)
Dads and Daughters
Hardy Girls Healthy Women
Industry Ears
Kids Can Make a Difference
The Motherhood Project
National Institute on Media and the Family
Obligation, Inc.
Parents Television Council
Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment (TRUCE)

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 1:25 pm and is filed under The Goals, Movies, The Problem. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.