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Media and Social Responsibility

Media and Social Responsibility

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

"Congress should pass laws regulating violent and sexual content in the entertainment media."

Please review the arguments for and against the statement and enter your response.

Pros
The recent spate of well-publicized acts of violence by and against children is an indirect result of the violence and inappropriate content present in television, movies, the Internet, and popular music. Media influence is so pervasive in the Information Age society that parents can no longer effectively protect their children from these disturbing and, at times, highly inflammatory influences. Clearly the voluntary standards set by the entertainment industry do not inhibit the industry from their "whatever sells" approach towards young consumers. It is time for the government to set and enforce strict rules on both media content and access.

Cons
Parents have the primary responsibility to determine what media influences their children are exposed to and how they interpret those images. The government is ill suited to determine what is, and is not, appropriate. Current television and film ratings systems give parents the information they need to make rational, informed choices for their own children. Technological advances such as the V-Chip and Internet filter software give parents the tools to ensure their children have reasonable protection from unwanted or inappropriate influences. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees both freedoms of speech and of expression. Any politicized attempt to artificially restrict artistic freedom in the entertainment media would be both unnecessary and, almost certainly, unconstitutional.


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