The yearlong Federal Trade Commission study -- prepared at
President Bill Clinton's request and provided to CNN ahead of
its Monday release -- found that:
• 80 percent of R-rated movies were targeted at children
under 17, and two-thirds of the marketing plans for R-rated
movies expressly said the target audience was children under
17.
• 70 percent of video games with "mature" ratings are
targeted to children under the age of 17, and 60 percent of
the industry marketing plans for such games expressly noted
they were targeted at children under 17.
• 85 percent of children aged 13-16 who participated in the
FTC study were able to purchase music with explicit lyrics or
violent video games that were ostensibly rated for those aged
17 or older.
• 50 percent of those aged 13-16 taking part in the study
were allowed into R-rated movies.
'Scathing report'
Clinton requested the study in May 1999, in the wake of the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
"It is a scathing report," said a senior Clinton
administration official who provided CNN with details of the
document.
Clinton planned to discuss the report Monday during an event
with his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic
candidate for Senate in New York. They were to appear
together in Scarsdale.
Administration officials said Mrs. Clinton planned to make
two requests:
• That there be an immediate end to any marketing campaigns deemed to inappropriately target
children.
• That a new voluntary, industry-wide uniform rating system
be designed to make it easier for parents to understand the
content of movies, video games and music.
Senate hearings planned
White House officials said that Clinton was not planning any
new government initiatives, but that the president planned to
stress his belief that "it is wrong for the companies to say
one thing, such as promising not to inappropriately market
their materials, and then do another," an aide said.
Clinton was also expected to point to studies that he has
said increasingly make a strong link between violent
entertainment and aggressive or violent behavior in
children.
Later in the week, the issue is expected to receive
additional attention when Senate Commerce Committee Chairman
John McCain holds hearings.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee
from Connecticut, is expected to address the hearings to
reiterate his criticism of the entertainment industry. He has
said that the industry allows too much gratuitous sex and
violence in its programming and products.
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