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July 23, 2004
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For Further Information:
Mary-Ellen Shay
617-355-6420
mary.shay@childrens.harvard.edu
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Today's PG-13 approaches 1992's R; development of standardized, universal rating system urged
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Violence, sex and profanity increased significantly in movies between 1992 and 2003 according to a study led by the Center on Media and Child Health's director of research, Kimberly Thompson, ScD. The study appeared July 13 in Medscape General Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal (available free at www.medscape.com/viewarticle/480900). The study findings demonstrated that ratings creep occurred over the last decade and that today's movies contain significantly more violence, sex and profanity on average than movies of the same rating a decade ago.
Thompson and co-author Fumie Yokota, ScD, formerly a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health Kids Risk Project, found a significant increase of violence, sex and profanity in films over the 11-year period, suggesting that the MPAA became increasingly more lenient in assigning its age-based movie ratings. Their results suggest that the overall increase arose largely from increases in violent content in films rated PG and PG-13, increases in sexual content in films rated PG, PG-13, and R, and increases in profanity in films rated PG-13 and R. The researchers developed a database that included movie ratings and rating reasons obtained from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) (www.MPAA.org) and information about movie content from two independent resources, Kids-in-Mind (www.kids-in-mind.com) and Screen It! (www.screenit.com). They then assessed the relationship between movie ratings and content for films released between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 2003.
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Violence, sex and profanity increased significantly in movies between 1992 and 2003 according to a study led by the Center on Media and Child Health's director of research, Kimberly Thompson, ScD. The study appeared July 13 in Medscape General Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal (available free at www.medscape.com/viewarticle/480900). The study findings demonstrated that ratings creep occurred over the last decade and that today's movies contain significantly more violence, sex and profanity on average than movies of the same rating a decade ago.
Thompson and co-author Fumie Yokota, ScD, formerly a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health Kids Risk Project, found a significant increase of violence, sex and profanity in films over the 11-year period, suggesting that the MPAA became increasingly more lenient in assigning its age-based movie ratings. Their results suggest that the overall increase arose largely from increases in violent content in films rated PG and PG-13, increases in sexual content in films rated PG, PG-13, and R, and increases in profanity in films rated PG-13 and R. The researchers developed a database that included movie ratings and rating reasons obtained from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) (www.MPAA.org) and information about movie content from two independent resources, Kids-in-Mind (www.kids-in-mind.com) and Screen It! (www.screenit.com). They then assessed the relationship between movie ratings and content for films released between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 2003.
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Based on the study, Thompson emphasized the need for a significant research effort to explore the development and creation of a universal media rating system. She noted that the convergence of media and cross-marketing issues present major challenges to parents and rating boards. Thompson is leading a new effort at the Center on Media and Child Health to focus on providing an academic perspective to efforts aimed at bringing media rating systems into the new integrated media environment.
The Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston is committed to improving the understanding of the effects of communications and entertainment media on children and coordinating national and international research on the medical and public health implications of media use. Center researchers study the media as a force that powerfully affects child health. For more information about the Center visit: www.childrenshospital.org/cmch.
This study was funded by unrestricted gifts to the Center on Media and Child Health and the Kids Risk Project at Harvard School of Public Health. The Kids Risk Project strives to empower kids, parents, policy makers, and others to improve children's lives by focusing on the risks that children face and on finding cost-effective strategies to better manage these risks. The project focuses on using an analytical approach to address risks to children. For more information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions about this study visit: www.kidsrisk.harvard.edu.
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