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May 14, 2008
Josh Golin
(617.278.4172;
jgolin@jbcc.harvard.edu)
Max
Greenberg (617.278.4174;
mgreenberg@jbcc.harvard.edu)
CCFC to MPAA: Stop the
Marketing of Violent PG-13 Films to Young Children
Ads for Summer
Blockbusters and Related Merchandise Flood Kids TV
Citing thousands of
toys and kid-targeted promotions already under way for a slew of
violent summer blockbusters, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free
Childhood
launched a letter-writing campaign
today to the Motion Picture Association of America urging the
MPAA to stop allowing film companies to promote PG-13 movies to
young children. In January, in response to a complaint by CCFC,
the Federal Trade Commission urged the MPAA to develop an
“explicit policy, incorporating objective criteria” to “ensure
that PG-13 movies are not marketed in a manner inconsistent with
their rating,” but the MPAA has refused that request. As a
result, ads promoting PG-13 movies and their related merchandise
continue to be a staple of children’s television programming.
“By allowing film companies
to relentlessly market PG-13 movies to young children, the MPAA
undermines its already flawed rating system,” said CCFC’s
Director, Dr. Susan Linn, author of The Case for Make Believe.
“The PG-13 rating states that parents should be ‘strongly
cautioned’ that ‘material may be inappropriate for children
under thirteen,’ but the film industry is doing everything and
anything to ensure that violence-packed movies are the talk of
elementary and preschool playgrounds. In their cynical attempt
to wring every last dollar from families, film companies are
undermining parents who are trying to shield their children from
media violence.”
While the MPAA claims it
reviews marketing plans for every PG-13 movie, they focus
primarily on the content of the ads, not whether the film
advertised is appropriate for a younger audience. Equally
concerning, the MPAA does not review ads for licensed toys and
movie-linked food promotions, even though these ads are a
significant component of a deliberate strategy to promote the
films to young children. Paul Gitter of Marvel, which owns the
rights to Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk,
recently told USA Today, “Especially for kids, they'll
see the toys before they'll see the movie ads. If they want the
toy, they usually want to see the movie."
On Saturday, May 10, CCFC
found ads for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull-themed Lunchables and Frosted Flakes on
children’s programming on Nickelodeon. Earlier this month,
children’s television was flooded with ads for Iron Man,
rated PG-13 for “intense sequences of sci-fi action and
violence,” as well as ads for toys linked to the movie, and for
a Burger King Iron Man Kids Meal promotion for children
as young as three. If the MPAA does not take action, CCFC
believes that The Incredible Hulk (not yet rated, but the
2003 version was PG-13) and The Dark Knight (rated
PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace) will be
advertised to young children as well. The Incredible
Hulk has 260 new toys, many of which are recommended for
children as young as three. The Dark Knight has
950 toys and another 4,000 merchandising items, as well as
promotions with General Mills and Hershey’s.
“Film companies put profits
over children’s well being when they market PG-13 films to
little kids,” said Nancy Carlsson-Paige author of Taking Back
Childhood. “Way too many children are seeing movies that
confuse and scare them and harden them from an early age to the
pain felt by others. These unethical marketing practices must
be stopped.”
For more information:
CCFC’s FTC complaint about
the marketing of PG-13 Transformers to preschoolers:
http://commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/transformersftcletter.pdf.
The FTC recommends the
MPAA adopt an explicit, objective policy for the marketing of
PG-13 films:
http://commercialfreechildhood.org/ftcrecommendation.pdf.
More than 20 advocacy groups
urge the MPAA to adopt the FTC’s recommendations:
http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/mpaaletter.pdf
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Press
PG-13 isn't for young children
(Boston Globe, 6/7/08)
Teen flicks targeted at children
(LA Times, 6/5/08)
A barrage of movie ads is headed your kids'
way (Seattle PI, 5/25/08)
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