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Cynthetiq · 07-14-2004, 06:18 AM

Harvard study is first to measure Hollywood 'ratings creep'
By Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Movies today have more sex, violence and profanity than similarly rated films did a decade ago, a Harvard study suggests.
The Harvard School of Public Health findings are the first to support the notion of "ratings creep," more risqué and violent scenes being allowed in films rated G, PG, PG-13 and R than in the past.

"This raises the question of 'What does PG really mean?' If parents are basing their experience on (movies) a long time ago, maybe they need to get recalibrated," says study co-author Kimberly Thompson, a Harvard associate professor and director of the school's Kids Risk Project. "The reality is, the ratings don't mean what they did 10 years ago."

Researchers studied films released from 1992 to 2003 with a database of the Motion Picture Association of America's rating reasons and movie content information from independent movie content reviewers Kids-in-Mind (www.kids-in-mind.com) and Screen It! (www.screenit.com).

Among the findings:

•Over the 11-year period, sex and violence in PG films increased, as did sex, violence and profanity in PG-13 films and sex and profanity in R-rated films.

•Smoking, which was not listed by the MPAA as a rating reason for any of the movies, appeared in 79% of films. Alcohol, tobacco or drugs appeared in 93% of films, including 51% of G-rated movies.

•More violence appeared in animated G-rated movies than in non-animated G movies.

Previously, the researchers found significant violence in G-rated animated films and in teen-rated video games. "Parents don't always realize that animation is not a signal that a movie is OK for kids," Thompson says.

Confusing the ratings issue are video games that tie into films such as R-rated The Matrix and the PG-13-rated Lord of the Rings films. Many games target children below the movie's suggested age group, Thompson says, a problem that would be lessened if there were a universal rating system for movies, TV and games.

The MPAA did not comment on the study, but president Jack Valenti has called the rating system "a beneficial tool." The voluntary ratings are determined by a rotating panel of 10 to 13 people in California, who watch 400 to 500 films a year.

With Valenti being replaced Sept. 1 by former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, there is an opportunity for reform, says online reviewer Nell Minow, also known as The Movie Mom. "The fact there's an overall deterioration (of values) is no excuse for the MPAA to mislead parents who think they have a sense of what PG-13 means by continually diluting that."

07-14-2004, 06:18 AM	#331 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	Harvard study is first to measure Hollywood 'ratings creep' By Mike Snider, USA TODAY Movies today have more sex, violence and profanity than similarly rated films did a decade ago, a Harvard study suggests. The Harvard School of Public Health findings are the first to support the notion of "ratings creep," more risqué and violent scenes being allowed in films rated G, PG, PG-13 and R than in the past. "This raises the question of 'What does PG really mean?' If parents are basing their experience on (movies) a long time ago, maybe they need to get recalibrated," says study co-author Kimberly Thompson, a Harvard associate professor and director of the school's Kids Risk Project. "The reality is, the ratings don't mean what they did 10 years ago." Researchers studied films released from 1992 to 2003 with a database of the Motion Picture Association of America's rating reasons and movie content information from independent movie content reviewers Kids-in-Mind (www.kids-in-mind.com) and Screen It! (www.screenit.com). Among the findings: •Over the 11-year period, sex and violence in PG films increased, as did sex, violence and profanity in PG-13 films and sex and profanity in R-rated films. •Smoking, which was not listed by the MPAA as a rating reason for any of the movies, appeared in 79% of films. Alcohol, tobacco or drugs appeared in 93% of films, including 51% of G-rated movies. •More violence appeared in animated G-rated movies than in non-animated G movies. Previously, the researchers found significant violence in G-rated animated films and in teen-rated video games. "Parents don't always realize that animation is not a signal that a movie is OK for kids," Thompson says. Confusing the ratings issue are video games that tie into films such as R-rated The Matrix and the PG-13-rated Lord of the Rings films. Many games target children below the movie's suggested age group, Thompson says, a problem that would be lessened if there were a universal rating system for movies, TV and games. The MPAA did not comment on the study, but president Jack Valenti has called the rating system "a beneficial tool." The voluntary ratings are determined by a rotating panel of 10 to 13 people in California, who watch 400 to 500 films a year. With Valenti being replaced Sept. 1 by former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, there is an opportunity for reform, says online reviewer Nell Minow, also known as The Movie Mom. "The fact there's an overall deterioration (of values) is no excuse for the MPAA to mislead parents who think they have a sense of what PG-13 means by continually diluting that." __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!