Week Information and news releases furnished by the members of PR Newswire, who are responsible for their fact and content. The action is in response to recent media reports on the television industry's efforts to institute a ratings system that labels programs by age groups, similar to the current ratings system by the movie industry. The RSAC guidelines address sex, violence and language by utilizing a symbol for each category.
Parents use symbols to gauge whether a program is appropriate for their children.
These systems should be used as a benchmark in judging any ratings because they are objective and informative without being judgmental. The AAP says that next to the family, television is the most important influence on child development and behavior in our society. American teenagers see an estimated 14,000 sexual references and innuendoes per year on television, yet only 150 references deal with sexual responsibility, abstinence or contraception. The level of violence during Saturday morning cartoons is higher than the level of violence during prime time. There are three to five violent acts per hour in prime time vs. 20 to 25 acts per hour on Saturday morning.