2nd March 2004, 6:50 AM
It's just as they said in the South Park episode "Death": parents rely on television as a babysitter for their children and expect it to teach their kids the moral values that they should be learning from their parents. Instead of protesting, however, parents could be putting what their children see into context. But it's so much easier to blame the media than to raise your children yourself, right?
First of all, different forms of media have different ratings. Parents should pay attention to these ratings. One woman was stupid enough to buy a South Park DVD and show it to her children, then she complained about the overuse of swearing. As though the parental warning on the DVD case as well as at the beginning of the DVD and at the beginning of EVERY SINGLE EPISODE wasn't enough. Grand Theft Auto's title should be enough to make a parent hesitant, and the little "M" on the corner of the case should also come as a warning.
A parent should also get to know their kid. Remember, M means Mature. That doesn't necessarily mean "old enough." A kid could be old enough yet still not be mature, and if a parent gets to know their child, they should know if the child is mature enough to watch a higher rated movie or TV show or play a T or M rated game. Otherwise, stick with G-rated movies, TV-Y rated shows, and E-rated games. Don't blame the developers because your 8-year old played an M-rated game, then started acting violent and swearing.
First of all, different forms of media have different ratings. Parents should pay attention to these ratings. One woman was stupid enough to buy a South Park DVD and show it to her children, then she complained about the overuse of swearing. As though the parental warning on the DVD case as well as at the beginning of the DVD and at the beginning of EVERY SINGLE EPISODE wasn't enough. Grand Theft Auto's title should be enough to make a parent hesitant, and the little "M" on the corner of the case should also come as a warning.
A parent should also get to know their kid. Remember, M means Mature. That doesn't necessarily mean "old enough." A kid could be old enough yet still not be mature, and if a parent gets to know their child, they should know if the child is mature enough to watch a higher rated movie or TV show or play a T or M rated game. Otherwise, stick with G-rated movies, TV-Y rated shows, and E-rated games. Don't blame the developers because your 8-year old played an M-rated game, then started acting violent and swearing.