IV
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. RES. 202
To express the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the
broadcasting of video programming containing violence.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 18, 1993
Mr. SLATTERY (for himself, Mr. GLICKMAN, Mrs. MEYERS of Kansas, and
Mrs. ROUKEMA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
RESOLUTION
To express the sense of the House of Representatives with
respect to the broadcasting of video programming con-
taining violence.
Whereas 3 different Surgeons General, the Attorney Gen-
eral’s Task Force on Family Violence, the American
Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Associa-
tion, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other au-
thorities have all found that viewing televised violence is
harmful to children;
Whereas Americans watch enormous amounts of television,
and many children will watch television for twice as many
hours (22,000 hours) as they attend school;
Whereas many children watch violent television programs
without adult supervision or guidance;
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Whereas watching aggressive behavior causes children to be-
come more aggressive, and behavioral scientists have iso-
lated this effect from other factors. In one study, sci-
entists found that childhood television viewing patterns
are a better predictor of later adult aggression and crimi-
nal behavior than social class, parental behavior, child
rearing practices, intelligence and other variables;
Whereas many studies of entire societies, conducted on small
and large scales, show that violence and homicide rates
increase dramatically after the introduction of television
into a community;
Whereas more than 20 years of research such as this has led
to a consensus that watching televised violence increases
children’s aggressiveness and desensitizes them to the ef-
fects and implications of violence, and the solidity of the
agreement among respected scientists that televised vio-
lence is harmful nullifies arguments to the contrary by
the television industry; and
Whereas many other countries, including Canada, Great Brit-
ain, South Africa, Belgium, Finland, Australia, New Zea-
land, and France have taken action to combat the prob-
lem of television violence: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That each of the 4 major television broad-
cast networks and their affiliates, independent television
stations, the Public Broadcasting System, cable program-
mers, and cable operators should—
(1) not telecast programming containing dram-
atized violence;
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(2) superimpose explicit, on-screen viewer
advisories or displays throughout programming con-
taining dramatized or documentary violence;
(3) provide explicit audio and on-screen textual
viewer advisories immediately prior to transmittal of
programming containing dramatized or documentary
violence;
(4) not transmit programming promotions or
advertisements which contain dramatized or docu-
mentary violence;
(5) develop a standard scheme for classifying
television programming on the basis of the amount
and type of dramatized violence it contains; and
(6) educate and inform viewers about the harm-
ful effects of exposure to television violence.
SEC. 2. For the purposes of this resolution—
(1) the term ‘‘violence’’—
(A) means the use or threatened use of
physical force against another or against one’s
self; and
(B) does not include idle threats, verbal
abuse, and gestures without credible violent
consequences;
(2) the term ‘‘dramatized violence’’ means the
dramatized portrayal of killings, rapes, maimings,
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beatings, stranglings, stabbings, shootings, or any
other acts of violence which, when viewed by the av-
erage person, would be considered excessive or inap-
propriate for minors.
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