Is prime time television too indecent for children?
Profanity is increasingly uncensored. Obscene gestures as attempts at humor are more common. Sexual content is increasingly less subtle, and violence is a central part of more programs. And characters seemingly make more positive references to drug use and cigarette smoking.
Should children even be allowed to watch prime time television?
Hollywood's mores have seemingly become looser over the past ten to fifteen years. In response, the Federal Communication Commission has vowed and even begun in recent years to more vigorously penalize indecency. But where is the line of decency drawn? Should it or can it be drawn at all?
Should Americans demand that Hollywood clean up its act, for the sake of our children?
My aim is not to bash Hollywood. Adults, provided every consideration is given not to infringe upon the rights of others, may entertain themselves however they please. My aim is much larger: to protect children from the potential consequences of watching such programming.
Some argue that television programming is not the problem - rather, it's parents. While turning off the television during prime time would be the ideal method of blocking indecent programming from a child's view, the sad fact is that many American parents, increasingly overworked and overstressed, are not so much letting their children watch television as asking television to watch their children.
In America today, most children have televisions, often with cable, in their bedrooms. Early bedtimes are not routinely enforced. Our definitions of what is and is not appropriate have changed, as reflected by Hollywood. What is indecent to some is obviously not to most, as evidenced by the success of profane, sexual and violent programming. Hence, many children are staying up late watching programs that ten or twenty years ago many adults would not have been comfortable watching.
Others argue that even if parents limited children's television time to the recommended amount of less than two hours daily, and eliminated prime time viewing, they could not keep indecent material from making its way to kids. Since parents cannot prevent their children's exposure to other children who are not similarly restricted, and because children share what they've seen, many are calling on government to force Hollywood to clean up its act.
Although pining for a return to a cleaner and more decent Hollywood, I believe we must never restrict what can and cannot be said. As Voltaire once said: 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.' Restricting the First Amendment rights for some can only lead to restrictions for everyone.
Yet I struggle over how to protect free speech - and the right of Hollywood to produce indecent material, as well as the right of adult Americans to watch it - while protecting our children from a pop culture that is increasingly polluted.
Ultimately, as a pediatrician, I side with the argument that protecting children is the parents' responsibility. This is done first by restricting television time: Get televisions out of the bedrooms; reduce a child's screen time to two hours or less daily; and turn off the family television after 8 p.m. for children under the age of ten, and after 9 p.m. for children ages ten to fourteen.
Next, parents should be consistent: Most Americans polled agree there is too much violence, profanity, and sex on television, yet most American parents let their children watch prime time television programs that would be rated 'R' were they shown in theaters. Many parents also allow their young children to watch theater movies rated 'R' once released on home DVD.
The bottom line is that despite saying they want their children protected from violence and smut most parents are in fact permitting such viewing, either directly or by letting their children watch television unsupervised.
Finally, parents can protect their children by keeping open the channels of communication, so children can ask about what they hear from other children. Teach children to be media wise. Discuss your opinions of what is considererd decent and what is not. While there is not one right or wrong standard of decency, children need to learn their parents' definitions and thresholds, so that they can see that their world is not just one where anything goes.