Thirty-two years ago, national broadcasters agreed to set aside a block of time in the early evening and designate it as “family hour”. During this time, the programs featured would be free of sex and violence. A recent article in the Huntsville Times, reports that that the family hour today is “no place for children”.
The Parents Council studied 208 television programs during the 2006-07 season and found that nearly 90% of all programs contained objectionable material including material containing sex, violence and profanity.
The group viewed shows during the family hour for two weeks on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW and My Network TV. They concluded that the family hour contained a large amount of adult-oriented material and one reason was because of “corporate interests having hijacked the family hour.”
The report discussed reasons why the networks are being hijacked. For instance, competition with cable and satellite channels has caused some networks to allow inappropriate programming during the family hour. Some feel that the idea of a family hour is, in fact, a relic of the past.
The group reminds parents that they have at their fingertips the means to monitor what their children watch, not counnting sitting down with them and literally picking the shows they can watch. The V-chip has been sold since 2000 and allows parents to accept or block programs that are adult-oriented. However, according to a report issued by the Federal Communications Commission, only 15% of parents use the chip.
Sometimes I’m shocked by the content of some programs during the family hour. Not only TV programs but also some movies, and I’m talking G-rated movies, contain content that’s not really appropriate for a general audience. As I said in a previous blog, I don’t advocate banning TV watching altogether but I believe parents have a responsibility to monitor what their kids watch. I think the networks also have a responsibility to provide programs that are more appropriate for kids to watch during the family hour.
See also:
The Prevalence and Effects of Sex in the Media