The Parents Television and Media Council, joined by Fairplay and others, want the Federal Trade Commission to say Hollywood, including streaming services, continues to market violent adult entertainment to children and want the Federal Trade Commission to investigate.

PTC is coming armed with recent research it said found that teen-targeted shows with explicit content is being marketed on social media sites popular with children 13-17.

They have written to FTC chair Lina Khan pointing out that it has been more than two decades since the FTC opened an investigation into the impact of violent entertainment content -- including videos and games -- on kids in the aftermath of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.

Also: PTC Asks Justice to Investigate Netflix

It has also been more than a decade since the FTC last looked into the issue, they said, and it is time to reopen that investigation, citing streaming content that has materialized since those investigations.

"Though much has changed in the intervening 22 years since the FTC first delved into this issue, this much has not changed: Hollywood is still trying to do an end-run around parents, deliberately targeting children and teens in the marketing of their adult-rated entertainment products on the platforms that teens use the most," they told Khan.

They call that an end run around regulators that needs to be blocked, saying Hollywood efforts at self-regulation.

"On behalf of the PTC’s 1.5 million members, I am asking you to once again open an investigation into the marketing of adult content to children," said Melissa Henson, VP of programs for PTC. ■

The Parents Television and Media Council, which has criticized Netflix’s animated Big Mouth for sexualized content involving child characters, is no fan of animated spinoff Human Resources, either. Rather than asking Netflix not to run it, though, it is instead advising parents they may want to block it using parental controls.

PTC points out that while Human Resources does not “revolve around” adolescent characters, it features some of the same “hormone monster” characters and content PTC says contains “disturbing, sexualizing references to children,” for example one character that says: “I mean, I’m perfectly satisfied getting children to touch their privates.”

Also: PTC Asking Justice to Investigate Netflix Programming

In a revamped corporate employee policy published last month, Netflix made it clear that pushing the edge artistically is part of its mission statement.

“As employees we support the principle that Netflix offers a diversity of stories, even if we find some titles counter to our own personal values,” the policy states. “Depending on your role, you may need to work on titles you perceive to be harmful. If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you.”

That policy update applies to all content, but followed by several months the expressed unhappiness of some employees over the Dave Chappelle special The Closer.

PTC has long advocated for what its members argue is “responsible” entertainment when children are in the audience. ■

Why would a fiercely nonpartisan national grassroots organization like the Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) call for the U.S. Senate to confirm a progressive Federal Communications Commission (FCC) nominee like Gigi Sohn? Because she is imminently qualified for the job, and she would work to improve the lives of children and families.

While we at the PTC don’t always agree with Ms. Sohn on matters of public policy, I’ve had the pleasure to know her for almost two decades, and to work together with her on issues of mutual interest and concern. I cannot think of a candidate who would be more familiar, and more abreast, of the myriad and very complicated issues – especially those of concern to families – that come before the FCC. Regardless of which box on a ballot you tend to check, it is indisputable that she is exceptionally well-qualified to serve as an FCC commissioner.

Also: Newsmax Backs Sohn

Gigi Sohn brings a vital perspective to the FCC that is urgently needed: She is a mom. Today’s entertainment media landscape has never been more dangerous for children, and never more concerning for parents. Several years ago, the PTC had grown increasingly frustrated over the lack of the FCC’s enforcement of longstanding broadcast indecency laws, despite clear and convincing evidence of violations. Ms. Sohn, in her capacity as an adviser to then-Chairman Tom Wheeler, brokered a meeting to address our concerns. After hearing us out, and after investigating the facts of specific un-adjudicated indecency complaints, the FCC acted unanimously and levied its first indecency fine in years.

Unfortunately, some of the big, behemoth media corporations are doing everything they can to prevent her confirmation, and they won’t allow the truth to interfere with the narrative they want you to believe. It is rare to find an issue where the corporate parents of Fox News and MSNBC agree, however, both News Corporation and Comcast have invested heavily to kill the Sohn nomination. And it is precisely their reasons for doing so that should spur bipartisan support to confirm her.

Increasing the number of journalistic voices – both on the left and on the right – should be warmly welcomed as our nation passionately debates so many vexing issues. For decades, Sohn has been one of the fiercest advocates for more voices, and for more competition. Apparently, that is such a threat to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation that he has invested numerous Fox News segments, and numerous Wall Street Journal editorials, to eradicate potential Republican support for her confirmation. Yet other conservative news organizations, such as Newsmax, have openly endorsed Sohn’s confirmation.

Also: WSJ Takes Fresh Aim at Sohn Nomination

Much is said about the revolving door between government regulators and the industries they ostensibly regulate, and rightly so. Unlike some FCC nominees in recent years, Sohn has no financial allegiance to the very industry sectors over which the FCC holds regulatory oversight. That’s why her nomination is so refreshing. Rather than protecting a corporate interest, Sohn’s entire career has been dedicated to serving the public interest, and to holding powerful media corporations publicly to account. I cannot think of a time in our nation’s history when that perspective has been more important.

We share many of the same values and have worked in support of many of the same causes as those who are currently impeding her confirmation. For those Senators on both sides of the aisle who have previously – and rightly – advocated for the confirmation of a nominee who is indisputably well-qualified but who faces fierce partisan opposition, we call on you to heed your own words. Ms. Sohn is exceptionally well-qualified to serve our nation as an FCC Commissioner. We call on the Senate to confirm her, and to permit her to serve in that capacity free from any recusals or encumbrances foisted upon her by the very industry over which the Commission has regulatory authority. ■

The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) says it plans to ask Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate whether Netflix programming has violated any federal laws regarding "child sex, indecency and human trafficking."

Netflix has seen a recent defection of subs and PTC suggests the reasons are not the usual suspects — "competition from other streaming services, the lifting of COVID stay-at-home orders, a bad economy." Driving family audiences away, PTC says, is that Netflix is marketing content to children that exploits children.

PTC says exhibits A, B, and C are Cuties, Big Mouth and Sex Education, all shows it says damage the brand through content that sexualizes children and exploits child actors for the sake of entertainment.

PTC has complained about the shows before but it is tying its latest volley to the June 2 annual shareholders meeting. It has drafted an open letter to those shareholders telling them to use their power to prevent Netflix from alienating family audiences, saying that despite PTC's protestations, Netflix has "doubled-down on offensive content that will only serve to further drive family audiences away."

Also: Ricky Gervais Netflix Special Causes Controversy

It won't be the first complaint to Justice about Netflix original content.

Saying that the Sundance award-winning Cuties met the definition of child pornography, almost three dozen Republican members of Congress led by Rep. Jim Banks (Indiana) called on then Attorney General Bill Barr back in 2020 to prosecute Netflix for distributing the show. Justice did not do so.

At the time, Netflix defended Cuties as "an award-winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up — and we’d encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie.”

At the time, PTC called for hearings on the media's sexualization of children, but that didn't happen either. ■

The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) has endorsed Gigi Sohn‘s confirmation to the Federal Communications Commission.

Sohn has been nominated — twice — to fill the empty Democratic seat on a commission that has been at a political tie (2-2) for over a year. There was no vote after her first hearing in December and President Joe Biden resubmitted her nomination January 4.

Also: Padden Says Sohn Is Needed Voice on FCC

Tim Winter, who heads PTC, which has long promoted its definition of family-friendly programming both on television and more recently on streaming services, called Sohn a straight shooter and a careful listener.

Winter said that while they may disagree — or agree for that matter — on specific issues, her commitment to decisions “based on what best serves the public interest,” rather than what is best for a particular industry is “exactly the perspective parents and families urgently need at the FCC.”

Sohn would the first commissioner from a public interest group to serve on the FCC. She formerly headed Public Knowledge, which advocates for fair-use rights to content, a stand that has put her at odds with the major studios and distributors, a position Winter and the PTC have found themselves in as well.

Winter cited that public interest focus in his statement of support for Sohn, which comes on the eve of her second confirmation hearing Wednesday (February 9) in the Senate Commerce Committee, which has yet to vote on her nomination due to Republican pushback and a lack of Democratic votes due to the stroke of Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M).

“Much is said about the revolving door between government regulators and the industries they regulate, and rightly so,“ he said. ”That’s why Gigi’s nomination is so refreshing. Rather than serving the corporate interest, her career has been dedicated to serving the public interest, and to holding powerful industries publicly to account. It comes as no surprise that certain industry sectors are working against her confirmation, or to impose material encumbrances on her if she is confirmed. That opposition underscores the importance of bringing her perspective to the FCC’s leadership team.“

ISPs have taken issue with Sohn's offer to recuse herself from some broadcast issues. They argue her past advocacy for cable issues — a major one being the Title II-based net neutrality rules they oppose — means she should recuse from those, too. ■

The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) is urging Tegna‘s KREM Spokane, Washington TV station, to conduct a thorough investigation of how a pornographic clip wound up in an Oct. 17 weather report. The Spokane Police Department‘s Special Victims Unit is currently doing so.

The station acknowledged that the clip had appeared in its 6 p.m. news and apologized in its 11 p.m. newscast, but has not explained how the offending video footage made it onscreen.

“Those of us here at KREM 2 want to apologize for something that happened in our 6 p.m. newscast tonight," the on-air apology went. "An inappropriate video aired in the first part of the show. We are diligently working to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again."

Station owner Tegna has signaled it is taking the incident very seriously.

“We are investigating this incident to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again and cooperating with the Spokane police department," said Tegna spokesperson Anne Bentley.

“It is indeed unfortunate that this situation has arisen, as I’m sure it does not reflect the values of the TV station or its leadership,” wrote PTC president Tim Winter. “That is why it is vital for the station to levy swift and public accountability on the perpetrator[s]. The bold actions you take should serve to mitigate the potential financial penalties the station might face. We look forward to your response.”

Spokane SVU said they had received multiple calls around 6:30 p.m. Sunday night (Oct. 17) about the broadcast. It is investigating “how the image appeared and where it came from.“ Station personnel are cooperating, the department pointed out.

The FCC has rules against broadcasting indecent material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and while news is generally exempt, that informal exemption is for news content of public importance.

The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC), which has turned its focus to streamed content, had some encouraging words for Apple TV Wednesday (Sept. 1) and its comedy, Ted Lasso, now in its sophomore season.

Citing the half hour comedy about an optimistic American football turned European football coach, PTC said more streaming services should follow that lead.

"Audiences – and particularly families – have always wanted lighter and more positive entertainment, but Hollywood has been reluctant to produce it. Given the popularity of Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, it appears Hollywood is finally taking notice of the desire for aspirational content. We are here to cheer this trend on and to add our voices to those calling for more uplifting entertainment," said PTC President Tim Winter in a statement.

Winter said Lasso's aspirational content includes "frequent explicit language and other content that may be inappropriate for children," but that the industry should look more to that than what he called the "obscenity-laden darkness that is so ubiquitous in entertainment programming."

The Parents Television and Media Council is calling on the FCC and Congress to regulate streaming services.

That came Tuesday (June 8) after the heads of the top streaming services did not participate in its virtual town hall on better content controls.

“We renew our call on the top streaming companies who didn’t join our town hall to meet in some other public forum where they can identify Industry Best Practices, which all streaming platforms would adopt," said PTC President Tim Winter. "These guidelines should include, though not be limited to, reliable gating/blocking technology measures, and an accurate, consistent and transparent age-based ratings system."

PTC also renewed its call for the government to step in.

Also Read: PTC Seeks Parental Control Town Hall

“It is abundantly clear that Congress and the FCC must help improve the streaming landscape for American families in order to prevent children from accessing harmful and explicit programming that proliferates in streaming media," Winter said. "We are urging the FCC to follow through on the promises that Congress made to families when it unanimously passed the Child Safe Viewing Act. And we are urging Congress to update the Family Movie Act of 2005..."

That is the law that allows for third parties to provide content-filtered versions of DVDs--editing out language or nudity--without getting permission from the content rightsholder.* It does not apply to editing video streams, which still requires permission of the copyright holder/distributor.

The argument goes that given that universal broadband availability and adoption are a national priority, there need to be better content controls given the range of adult-targeted online content, including on streaming services, that will be accessible by all the children in those households.

The traditional response for pay-for content was that it had been invited into the home, but broadband is being billed as a must-have, with the government paying to get it into the home if need be, which makes that a tougher argument.

PTC had invited key execs from Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount Plus, Peacock, to talk about ways to provide "adequate" parental controls and best practices, but said that none had accepted the invitation, though Apple TV Plus and Netflix did not rule out participating in possible future forums, PTC said.

Next TV reached out to those companies late Monday (June 7) to ask about their participation. Netflix co-CEO and COO Ted Sarandos said he had not heard of the event and did not know he had been asked to participate, which was why he was not planning to be there.

A representative of one of the other invitees said they were not familiar with the invitation and did not plan to participate.

The town hall came in the wake of PTC's report, Dollars and Sense: A Parent’s Guide to Streaming Media, which gave a mixed review for streaming parental controls and signaled there was room for improvement.

Also Read: PTC Issues Cord-Cutters Guide to Streaming Services

*"Family Movie Act of 2005 - Exempts from copyright and trademark infringement, under certain circumstances: (1) making limited portions of the audio or video content of a motion picture for private home viewing imperceptible; or (2) the creation of technology that enables such editing." Source: congress.gov.

The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) has reached out to the top streaming platforms to talk about coming up with a "clear, uniform commitment to protecting children from age-inappropriate content."

PTC, which has changed the focus of its advocacy from content on broadcast (and cable) TV to streaming video, given the rise of those platforms, driven in part by the pandemic.

In March, for example, the group issued an advertiser advisory about Hulu content. Last fall, it took aim at Netflix's Cuties, but also applauded Disney Plus's deal with ClearPlay.

Also Read: PTC Issues Cord-Cutters Guide to Streaming Services

PTC said it plans to hold a June 8, 2021, virtual town hall to talk about parental control and other issues. That comes in the wake of its report Dollars and Sense: A Parent’s Guide to Streaming Media, which gave a mixed review for streaming parental controls and signaled there was room for improvement.

For parents, said PTC president Tim Winter, "[i]t is no longer a matter of knowing what is on a handful of broadcast or cable networks during a given time of day. Launching any one of dozens of streaming apps gives a child instantaneous access to a virtually unlimited catalogue of programming. It is not feasible or realistic to expect a parent to be familiar with all of the available titles on any ONE streaming service, let alone the content on EACH of those titles."

He suggested that streaming execs are the new video power source, and need to be the responsibility source as well.

“Streaming TV is already proving to be a leader in the entertainment industry, and we expect these companies to exercise leadership to better protect children from harmful adult content,” he said.

The invitations to the town hall went to Amazon Prime Video senior VP Mike Hopkins; Apple TV Plus head of domestic creative development Matt Cherniss; Disney Plus President Michael Paull; HBO Max head Andy Forssell; Hulu president Kelly Campbell; Netflix co-CEO and COO Ted Sarandos; Tom Ryan, president and CEO, ViacomCBS Streaming; and Peacock chairman Mark Lazarus.

The letters just went out, so no word yet on any takers, said a PTC spokesperson.

In its first report under its rebrand as the Parents Television & Media Counsel, PTC said there are upsides and downsides to streaming media that families need to weigh. In its analysis of economic and other factors, it concluded that ad supported streaming services Paramount Plus, Peacock and Hulu are the most cost-effective and Netflix has the best parental controls, while Disney Plus gets the nod for family-friendliest.

The PTC name change (it has decided to keep the initials) was meant to reflect the group's growing focus on streaming video as where parents and their kids are increasingly turning for entertainment.

Also Read: PTC Changes Name to Reflect Rise in Streaming

Particularly during the pandemic, the video distribution of choice has been online streaming, which has been reflected in PTC's activities.

In March, for example, the group issued an advertiser advisory about Hulu content. Last fall, it took aim at Netflix's Cuties, but also applauded Disney Plus's deal with ClearPlay.

PTC is pitching the report, "Dollars and Sense: A Parent’s Guide to Streaming Media," as a resource guide for parents trying to decide whether to cut the traditional MVPD cord in favor of streaming media, looking at both the economic and noneconomic impacts.

PTC's top-line takeaway:

• "We found that although families can realize (sometimes significant) cost-savings now by switching to streaming services, there are associated risks. Streaming content can be far more explicit than what most families are used to from broadcast and cable, and often the parental controls are inadequate to protect children from explicit material. And given the push from media conglomerates to rebundle content, these cost savings may not last long, leaving many families worse-off financially than they were before.

Other key findings:

• "From a cost perspective alone, advertiser supported streaming services like Paramount+, Peacock and Hulu are the most cost-effective, and have the added advantage of giving you access to live TV."
• "Disney+ provides the best economic value for families with young children who are looking primarily or exclusively to stream family-friendly content."
• "Amazon Prime Video has many hidden costs, including additional “channels” and options to rent or buy that make Amazon’s program inventory appear deceptively large, as many titles will appear in a search that cannot be viewed without the
addition of a channel."

The bottom line for PTC is that while streaming services are trying to capture the family market, they have market, they have so far only scratched the surface of what PTC said families need most "meaningful cost-savings, and robust parental controls."

The Parents Television Council has changed its name to Parents Television and Media Council (PTMC) to reflect is increased focus on other entertainment media platforms.

Particularly during the pandemic, the video distribution of choice has been online streaming, which has been reflected in PTMC's activities.

In March, for example, the group issued an advertiser advisory about Hulu content. Last fall, it took aim at Netflix's Cuties, but also applauded Disney Plus's deal with ClearPlay.

“The traditional television screen has been transforming rapidly in recent years, and perhaps no faster than in the past year because of the pandemic," said PTMC president Tim Winter. "Children today consume their entertainment content not primarily on a television in the living room, but on ubiquitous screens – computers, phones, tablets, videogame devices, you name it – wherever they go. And today, more graphic and age-inappropriate content is within their reach than ever before."

The Parents Television Council (PTC) continued to retrain its focus on streaming content, cautioning advertisers to pay attention to the Hulu content they are supporting.

PTC specifically called out Hulu's A Teacher, PEN15 and Harlots, and the in-development Bitches and Punk Ass Bitches, calling them all programs "brought to us via the once-family-friendly Walt Disney Company."

Also Read: PTC Praises Disney PLus' Deal with ClearPlay

PTC said that any program that features children in explicit or dangerous situations should be on advertisers' "do not buy" list.

PTC historically focused on broadcast content, which is subject to FCC indecency rules. There are no similar content regs on pay TV or over the top, but given that, as Bloomberg recently reported, ads on Hulu will likely soon top ads on the ABC network (also owned by Disney), PTC is following the ad dollars to make its pitch about family-friendly programming.

Also Read: Netflix Says 'Cuties' Critics Should Try Watching It

"As media dollars pour away from television into streaming platforms like Hulu, and as programmatic media buying gains traction, advertisers must be even more vigilant when it comes to the programming with which they choose to associate," said PTC President Tim Winter.

The Parents Television Council is celebrating the news that content filterer ClearPlay has struck a deal with streaming platform Disney Plus to offer filtered and skipped versions of its content.

PTC has been focusing on streaming as the pandemic-struck world spends even more time entertaining itself online.

“We applaud ClearPlay and Disney+ for reaching an agreement to give parents greater control over the content their families consume," said PTC president Tim Winter. "Our research has shown that just because a content rating suggests a program is appropriate for children, that is often not the case. Even Disney+ allowed one ‘f-word’ into its release of PG-13-rated Hamilton, and families did not have the option to filter that word,” said PTC President Tim Winter."

ClearPlay already has automatic filtering deals with Netflix and Disney Plus.

PTC said that while such agreements are good, what would be better is if the Family Movie Act would be updated. Currently it allows consumers to do their own filtering of explicit content from the DVDs so long as it does not result in a new, changed, copy, which would violate copyright protections, but does not extend that to filtering streamed movies, which is done by ClearPlay.

The Parents Television Council is calling on HBO to stream its first-run Sesame Street episodes for free and broadcasters to set aside, and promote, a daily block of educational and informational programming to help with remote education efforts in the age of coronavirus. 

Sesame Street used to air first on free TV, but now airs on HBO before their noncom broadcast window.  

"With so many schools closing due to the quarantine, families would benefit greatly from programs designed to teach and educate children of all ages," said PTC President Tim Winter of the request for a broadcast E/I block. 

“Streaming platforms also need to help families by socially-distancing child-themed content from other content intended for adults," Winter said. "Too many streaming platforms enable children to have easy access to age-inappropriate content, sometimes placing kids’ content right next to extremely explicit content. With their deep, in-house technology expertise, better interface designs can and should be implemented immediately." 

Broadcasters are required to air educational and informational programming, but not in a daily block. The FCC also recently loosened kidvid obligations on broadcasters. Online services have no educational content requirements since they are beyond the reach of FCC content-related rules. 

Meanwhile, noncommercial television stations are returning to their educational TV roots with distance learning efforts in at least 25 states. 

The Parents Television Council was underwhelmed by the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board's first-ever annual report and renewed its call for disbanding the board.

The FCC reviewed the TV ratings, which the monitoring board oversees, and in a report to Congress last May said the board had not been sufficiently accessible or transparent, but that there is not enough evidence to conclude the ratings were inaccurate, but chiefly because the FCC did not have enough time to make that determination and meet its congressional deadline (90 days to do produce the report).

Related: PTC Calls for Reconstituting Content Ratings Board

The board is currently headed by Michael Powell, president of NCTA-The Internet & Television Association (board leadership rotates among the head of NCTA, the National Association of Broadcasters and the Motion Picture Association of America).

In a letter to Powell, PTC president Tim Winter thanked him for sending a copy of the report, and said he shared Powell's appreciation of their continuing dialogue on the issue. But in Winter's latest end of that dialog, he took issue with that work product.

"While I appreciate whatever volume of effort that went into the Report’s production, I am profoundly disappointed by the woefully inadequate output," Winter wrote. "If the objective was to produce a report, then you succeeded; but if the objective was to help parents to be better parents, then sadly you’ve failed."

Winter ticked off the reasons for his displeasure, which were many.

First, he said the board's efforts to date--redesigned logo and Web site ("that most Americans have never heard of, and reconnected a phone line that nobody knows exists," said Winter), a single podcast, a press release about the annual report, and more "hollow talking points," were hardly ta "material improvement," nor were "spot checks conducted by industry employees to confirm the accuracy of industry opinion."

In addition to disbanding the board and reconstituting ratings oversight among children's advocates and educators as well as industry officials--there is PTA representation on the current board, which Winter acknowledges--PTC and Winter want Congress to convene a hearing with "pediatricians, children’s mental health experts, and child/family advocates" to review the age-based ratings "to ensure that each rating category definition accurately and effectively reflects contemporary knowledge and international best practices."

Citing a 2018 survey, Powell said in the preamble to the annual report that: "90 percent of parents are aware of the TV ratings system; nearly 95 percent of parents are satisfied with the accuracy of ratings for TV shows. Approximately 88 percent of parents find the TV ratings system helpful; three in four parents report using the TV ratings often or sometimes; and more than 75 percent of parents maintain a favorable opinion about the TV ratings system."

As advertised, video games were the focus of the White House meeting Thursday (March 8) on media and violence, prompted by the Florida school shootings.

That's according to one of the participants, Parents Television Council program director Melissa Henson, who when asked whether the group had talked about network TV violence and whether she had the sense the President was looking beyond video games, she said: "No, the focus of the conversation really was video games," though she added that PTC research showed the problem went beyond video games.

Her invitation by the White House suggested that the Trump Administration could be looking beyond video games to TV, and that is still not beyond the realm of possibility; PTC has been pushing the administration to widen its net to broadcast TV violence.

But Henson said in a press conference following the meeting that the conversation remained focused on video games. The meeting kicked off with clips from violent video games that drew what Henson called a "shocked silence" and the President's commentary on how violent they were. She said she could not identify which games the clips were from.

Henson said Trump did not appear to have come with an agenda or a proposed course of action; she characterized it as a listening session.

She also said the video game representatives defended the clips as from games that were for mature audiences and never meant for children.

Henson said she had expected that defense, and didn't buy it -- saying the company had to know kids would also get access to the games -- but hoped the discussion was the first step toward media reform.

The White House confirmed the video game focus in a summary of the meeting: "Today, President Trump and senior members of the administration met with leaders in the video game industry and experts on violence to discuss violent video game exposure and its impact on our children. To date, the administration has led many discussions about how to prevent violent behavior in our schools, with a focus on stopping those intent on committing mass murder. During today’s meeting, the group spoke with the president about the effect that violent video games have on our youth, especially young males. The President acknowledged some studies have indicated there is a correlation between video game violence and real violence. The conversation centered on whether violent video games, including games that graphically simulate killing, desensitize our community to violence. This meeting is part of ongoing discussions with local leaders and Congress on issues concerning school and public safety and protecting America’s youth."