The FTC and a coaltion of advocacy organizations have asked the MPAA to revamp their guidelines in order to stop PG-13 movies (and movie accessories) from being marketed to young children. Young kids should not be watching PG-13 movies — that’s why they’re rated PG-13:

A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements . . . .

Of course, parents know their kids best and should be able to determine if any particular move is suitable for their kids.

But if no PG-13 movie is acceptable for, say, a 3-year-old, then why are those same movie-related toys being promoted to them?

Amazon.com seems to be listing toys in age categories even below the manufacturer’s suggested age restriction. Not good, especially for friends and aunts and uncles who rely on Amazon to help them find an appropriate gift.

As always, let’s ask: What’s wrong with selling a Pirates of the Caribbean coloring book to two- and three-year-olds (listed on Amazon.com for 2- to 4-year-olds)?

Because it’s irresponsible to entice kids into wanting something (in this case, to see a movie) that is not appropriate for their age.

Disney and Mattel should know better. They have plenty of other ways to infilitrate our kids’ psyches using age-appropriate toys and movies.

And in this new climate of retailers-are-responsible-too? Amazon better get its act together.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 8, 2008 at 12:48 pm and is filed under Mattel, Movies, Retailers, Disney, 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.