Prepared Statement of
the Federal Trade Commission

on

"Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children:
A Review of Self-Regulation and Industry Practices
in the Motion Picture, Music Recording, and Electronic Game Industries"

Before the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
United States Senate

Washington, D.C.

September 13, 2000

Movies. Of the 44 movies rated R for violence the Commission selected for its study, the Commission found that 35, or 80 percent, were targeted to children under 17. Marketing plans for 28 of those 44, or 64 percent, contained express statements that the film's target audience included children under 17. For example, one plan for a violent R-rated film stated, "Our goal was to find the elusive teen target audience and make sure everyone between the ages of 12-18 was exposed to the film." Though the marketing plans for the remaining seven R-rated films did not expressly identify an under-17 target audience, they led the Commission to conclude that children under 17 were targeted nonetheless. That is, the plans were either extremely similar to the plans of the films that did identify an under-17 target audience, or they detailed actions synonymous with targeting that age group, such as promoting the film in high schools or in publications with majority under-17 audiences.

http://www.ftc.gov/os/2000/09/violencerpttest.htm