Letter: Stop Marketing PG-13 Films to Young Children

Led by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CFCC), a coalition of 21 advocacy groups is demanding that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) comply with the Federal Trade Commission's recent recommendation for explicit restrictions on the marketing of PG-13 films to young children. In a letter sent last week to MPAA CEO Dan Glickman, CCFC urged the MPAA to develop a policy that would restrict the advertising of PG-13 films on children's television; prohibit restaurant toy giveaways or other food promotions aimed at young children for PG-13 movies; and insure that any toys released in conjunction with a film carry an age recommendation consistent with the film's rating.

This past summer, CCFC filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission that Transformers—rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language—was being marketed extensively to preschool children through television advertising, food promotions and licensed toys. Last week, the FTC acted on CCFC's complaint by urging the MPAA to adopt guidelines for the marketing of PG-13 movies.

"Transformers is just one of a string of violent, PG-13 movies marketed to preschoolers," said CCFC's director, Dr. Susan Linn. "For too long, the film industry has undermined its own rating system by bypassing parents to target young children directly with marketing for films that the industry itself has determined warrant parental caution."

Read more about the letter and its signatories at http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/coalitiontompaa.htm.

Download the complete text of the letter to the MPAA here: http://commercialfreechildhood.org/mpaaletter.pdf.