Editing V-chip (section)

==Criticisms==

===Usage===
On April 25, 2007, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] released a report entitled ''In the Matter of Violent Television Programming And Its Impact On Children''. The report discusses the low usage of V-chip technology. In its analysis, the report addresses the following studies:

According to a 2003 study, parents' low level of V-chip use is explained in part by their unawareness of the device and the "multi-step and often confusing process" necessary to use it. Only 27% of all parents in the study group could figure out how to program the V-chip, and many parents "who might otherwise have used the V-Chip were frustrated by an inability to get it to work properly."

The [[Kaiser Family Foundation]] conducted a telephone survey in 2004 of 1,001 parents of children ages 2–17. The results of that survey showed:
* 15% of all parents had used the V-chip
* 26% of all parents had not bought a new television set since January 2000, when the V-chip was first required in all televisions
* 39% of all parents had bought a new television set since January 2000, but did not think it even included a V-chip
* 20% of all parents knew they had a V-chip, but had not used it.<ref name="kff.org">(2004) Parents, Media and Public Policy: A Kaiser Family Foundation Survey. Program for the Study of Media and Health, Publication No. 7156, September 23, pp. 7. Retrieved from [http://www.kff.org/entmedia/7156.cfm kff.org]</ref>

A March 2007 [[Zogby poll]] indicated, among other things, that 88% of respondents did not use a V-chip or cable box parental controls in the previous week, leading the [[Parents Television Council]] to call the
television industry's V-chip education campaign a failure.<ref name="hraunfoss.fcc.gov">{{Cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-50A1.pdf |title="In the Matter of Violent Television Programming and Its Impact on Children," MB Docket No., 04-261, Federal Communications Commission (April 25, 2007), Page 14 |access-date=May 3, 2007 |archive-date=November 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112210848/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-50A1.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> This poll did not measure whether parents were aware of the V-chip and chose not to use it.<ref name="hraunfoss.fcc.gov"/>

The networks feared that a single profanity would block an entire program. They also feared that they would lose advertising revenue because advertisers would not pay for time slots during programs that might be blocked.<ref name=price1998 />

===Lack of supporting research===
The [[American Civil Liberties Union]] argues, "Research has not proven that watching violence on television causes watchers to commit violence" citing the Federal Trade Commission's ''Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children: A Review of the Self-Regulation and Industry Practices in the Motion Picture, Music Recording, & Electronic Game Industries'' report in September 2001 as support. In ACLU's website, ACLU quoted the FTC in saying, "Most researchers and investigators agree that exposure to media violence alone does not cause a child to commit a violent act, and that it is not the sole, or even the most important, factor in contributing to youth aggression, anti-social attitudes, and violence."<ref>American Civil Liberties Union. (2004, September 15). ACLU Comments to the Federal Communications Commission re: MB Docket No. 04-261, the Matter of Violent Television Programming and Its Impact on Children. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from [https://archive.today/20120719120157/http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/censorship/11463leg20040915.html aclu.org]</ref>

According to J.M. Balkin, author of ''Media Filters and the V-Chip'', people "want to filter out dangerous ideas and views they do not agree with or expressions that offend and anger them."<ref>Balkin, J. M. (1998). ''Media Filters and the V-Chip''. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from Yale University Website [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/jbalkin/articles/vchip01.htm yale.edu] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217225923/http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/jbalkin/articles/vchip01.htm |date=2008-02-17 }}</ref> There is also cultural and familial differences; an action, activity, or behavior may be deemed as "appropriate" for one culture or for one family but may very well be considered "inappropriate" for another culture or for another family. Balkin says some people believe that the use of the V-chip is a way for the government to "intervene and impose binding moral standards" on others.

===Expenses===
While the V-chip is fairly inexpensive to add to individual television sets, a large amount of money has been spent educating people on the technology. $550 million was spent to educate parents on the V-chip, but they are no more aware of the technology or the ways in which it can be put to use now than they were before the funds were spent.<ref>{{cite journal
 |first       = Richard
 |last        = Huff
 |title       = TV Watchdog is Barking up the Wrong Tree
 |journal   = [[New York Daily News]]
 |date        = 2007-03-30
 |url         = http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/03/30/2007-03-30_tv_watchdog_is_barking_up_the_wrong_tree_print.html
 |access-date  = 2007-11-29
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080518075421/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/03/30/2007-03-30_tv_watchdog_is_barking_up_the_wrong_tree_print.html
 |archive-date = 2008-05-18
}}</ref>

===Infringement on rights===
Another argument brought up is that it is not the government's right to monitor or censor what viewers watch on television. According to this argument, because the government regulates the rating system, it is also regulating much of parents' decision making processes on their children's viewing habits. Caroline Fredrickson, of the [[American Civil Liberties Union]], stated, "These FCC recommendations are political pandering. The government should not replace parents as decision makers in America's living rooms. There are some things that the government does well. But deciding what is aired and when on television is not one of them."<ref>{{cite news
  | first = Stephen
  | last = Labaton
  | title = F.C.C. Moves to Restrict TV Violence
  | newspaper = [[New York Times]]
  | date = 2007-04-26
  | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/26/business/media/26fcc.html
  | access-date = 2007-11-29 }}</ref>

===Insufficient number of users===
Despite the amount that has been spent on educating parents on use of the V-chip, there is still a low proportion of users. Of parents who have access to the V-chip, just 20% actually use it. As reported in 2007,<ref name="news.com">{{cite news
  | first = Erica
  | last = Ogg
  | title = Ad Council Unveils V-Chip Campaign
  | newspaper = [[New York Daily News]]
  | date = 2007-03-30
  | url = http://www.news.com/Ad-council-unveils-V-chip-campaign/2100-1041_3-6099021.html
  | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130130080010/http://www.news.com/Ad-council-unveils-V-chip-campaign/2100-1041_3-6099021.html
  | url-status = dead
  | archive-date = January 30, 2013
  | access-date = 2007-11-29
  }}</ref> 52% of parents who had access to the V-chip were unaware of its existence, and 27% of parents who knew of the V-chip's existence opted not to try it.<ref name="kff.org"/> Tim Winters, the Executive director for the [[Parents Television Council]] stated, "What I see is a solution that's flawed at every level. Conceptually, it's not bad, but practically, it's abhorrent."<ref name="news.com"/>

From 1999 to 2001, a research study was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania [[Annenberg Public Policy Center]] to observe the use of the V-chip in family households. The study was conducted on a total of 150 families with children between the ages of 7 and 10 who had V-chip television sets in their homes. Over the course of a year, families' use of the V-chip technology was observed to draw conclusions about the overall use of the V-chip in family environments.

Three experimental groups (''High Information'', ''Low Information'', ''Control Group'') were used to determine how crucial pre-emptive training and informational sessions on the V-chip were to their actual use.  The first group was given a new TV, equipped with V-chip technology, and detailed information about the V-chip. The second group was also given a new TV equipped with V-chip technology but no special training on the V-chip. The control group was not given a new TV or special training but was followed over the same time period to observe their V-chip use.

Overall, the study found this:
* Only 33 out of 110 families (30%) who received a new television set with V-chip technology programmed it during the course of the study
* Of those 33 families, only nine families (8%) regularly used the technology
* 24 out of 110 families (22%) tried the device at some point but didn't use it through the year either through choice or because they did not understand how to use the V-chip
* 77 families (70%) never used the V-chip technology at all during the year study

Many families either had no idea that their television possessed a V-chip or gave up after struggling to program it. Even families who were given extensive information on the V-chip still opted to not use the technology. Overall, this study suggests that there are an insufficient number of households that implement the V-chip technology.<ref>{{Cite journal
| first = A.
| last = Jordan
| author2 = E. Woodard
| title = Parents' Use of the V-Chip to Supervise Children's Television Use
| journal = Annenberg Public Policy Center Report
| place = University of Pennsylvania
| url = http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/Downloads/Media_and_Developing_Child/Childrens_Programming/20030402_Children_and_TV_Roundtable/20030402_ParentsVchip_report.pdf
| access-date = 2010-05-27
| archive-date = July 18, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110718174423/http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/Downloads/Media_and_Developing_Child/Childrens_Programming/20030402_Children_and_TV_Roundtable/20030402_ParentsVchip_report.pdf
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>