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TV Parental Controls: A Comprehensive Guide to Managing Family Content

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Since 2000, more than 119 million televisions containing the v-chip have been sold to 109 million households, providing parents with tools to manage what their family watches on TV. The voluntary program ratings system was introduced in 1998 by the broadcasting industry, with input from family and children's advocacy groups, Congress, the FCC, television broadcasters, cable systems, and television producers. This ratings system labels programs with ratings such as TV-Y and TV-MA, allowing parents to make informed decisions about what their children watch.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over 119 million televisions containing the v-chip have been sold since 2000, providing tools for parents to manage family content.
  • The voluntary program ratings system was introduced in 1998, with ratings labels such as TV-Y and TV-MA to help parents determine suitable programs for their children.
  • TV ratings appear on the television screen and in many TV schedules, with two ratings for programs designed for children (TV-Y and TV-Y7) and four ratings for all audiences (TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14, TV-MA).
  • Parents use a variety of tools to manage what their kids see on TV, including 91% of parents who take steps to manage content, 63% who watch TV with their children, and 52% who use TV ratings.
  • The TV Watch coalition, launched in May 2005, promotes the use of parental controls and supports individual control of TV content over government regulation, with 27 prominent individuals and organizations representing over 4 million Americans.

Statistics:

  • 119 million televisions containing the v-chip have been sold since 2000.
  • 109 million households have purchased televisions with v-chip technology.
  • 91% of parents take steps to manage what their children see on TV.
  • 63% of parents watch TV with their children.
  • 61% of parents limit TV watching to certain shows.
  • 55% of parents limit TV watching to certain times.
  • 52% of parents use TV ratings.
  • 17% of parents use cable controls.
  • 12% of parents use satellite controls.
  • 5% of parents use the v-chip.

Sources:

  • U.S. Newswire via COMTEX (New York, Mar 2, 2006).
  • TV Watch (http://www.televisionwatch.org).
  • U.S. Newswire (http://www.usnewswire.com).

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