October 1, 1999
By The Federal Communications Commission
"V for Victory was once a popular slogan. Now "V for "V-chip" may herald another victory--a victory to help parents protect their children from violent and sexually suggestive TV shows.
The V-chip is a device built into television sets that allows parents to block shows they do not want their children to see. The V-chip works in conjunction with the voluntary ratings system designed by the television industry. The first V-chip equipped TV sets are in stores now.
FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani, chair of the Commission's V-chip Task force, noted that children spend about 28 hours a week watching TV, more time each year than they spend in the classroom.
"Much of what they are watching is violent. By the time they complete elementary school, children have witnessed about 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence."
She noted that no parent can possibly know what's on TV all the time and, in many cases, children are in single parent households or households where both parents work.
"These parents want and deserve the ability to protect their children as much as parents who are able to closely monitor their children's viewing habits," she said.
The V-chip will give parents a modern tool to help raise their children in the modern world. Under the voluntary industry rating system, parents will be able to receive the information they need in order to determine whether an upcoming program contains sex, violence, offensive language or suggestive dialogue.
Commissioner Tristani warned that the V-chip will not relieve parents of the responsibility of determining what their children watch on TV, but will help them to fulfill that responsibility.
Television programmers "encode" programming so that the television rating information can be "read" by a V-chip equipped TV set. "The V-chip is essentially a remote control device with a longer range. It allows parents to `turn off' programs while they are at work, at a PTA meeting, or at a move."
Children are unable to unblock programming because only the parent knows the "PIN" number needed to program the TV set.
Some critics have said that the V-chip is too complicated for parents to use. However, many who have used the V-chip found it to be no more difficult than programming a VCR. In addition, "parents will do things for their children that they won't do for themselves," Tristani said. "I may not take the time to learn to program my VCR to record a move but I'll take the time to learn to program the V-chip to protect my children from objectionable material."
Consumers can also purchase a stand-alone box with V-chip capabilities that can be attached to an older television set that does not have the V-chip built-in.
"As parents begin using the V-chip, I am hopeful that they will come to value it as an effective and easy-to-use tool for blocking programming that they deem harmful to their children," Tristani said.
(More information can be accessed on the Commission internet V-chip web site: http://www.fcc.gov/vchip/ )
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