Richard Roeper (Ebert & Roeper at the Movies) says "Cut the violent content!"

Richard Roeper recently came out in support of our efforts to protect children from violent content shown on publicly viewable in-flight films. "I have to agree," Roeper said in his TV commentary, "the content in (airline) movies is sometimes too violent." Roeper would prefer not to see legislation on this issue and instead has called on the Studios to "be more judicious in their editing," and to "cut the violent content." We couldn't agree more and welcome Mr. Roeper's support. Thank you!

2008 Update
We've been branded as an 'activist group' by CNN and others. With that in mind, we thought you might like to know some of the activities we've been involved in.

- Working behind the scenes with a range of groups to broker a long term plan which will keep adult passengers entertained, protect kids from harmful violent content, ensure a level playing field among airlines, provide true accountability, and eliminate the need for legislation.

- The groups we've been working with include The Airline Transport Association (ATA), The World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA), the WAEA working group on Airline Films and The Family Friendly Flights Act, US Airways, Continental Airways, Congressman Heath Shuler, Senator Jay Rockefeller and the MPAA.

- We've also had courtesy conversations with four of the six major studios and have reached out to the rest of the major airlines, although without any interest on their part in speaking with us.

- Our great hope is that reason will prevail, that a solution will be quickly at hand and that we can avoid the need for legislation and/or a class action lawsuit.


Why This Website Exists

On a 2006 US Airways flight, the in-flight airline movie screen dropped down from the overhead and began showing images of incredible violence. A drive-by shooting, a child crushed to death by a car, kids swapping guns. And that was in the first five minutes of the film. What’s crazy is that children on the flight were watching these images regardless of whether or not their parents purchased headsets. All because the screens were positioned so that everyone could see them. On other more recent flights, parents have struggled to protect their kids from images of murder, torture, melting faces and death – all shown on publicly viewable screens.

The American Medical Association reports numerous studies which prove that exposure to violent images is harmful to children.

And yet, here in America, in the only situation in which parents are unable to walk away from a TV screen, change the channel or even turn the TV off, their kids are force fed images of horrific violence - against their will, against the recommendation of the Medical Experts and against the guidelines set by Hollywood as put forth by the MPAA.


Support for the Bi-Partisan
“Family Friendly Flights Act”

The “Family Friendly Flights Act” was introduced in the U.S. Congress on September 25th, 2007. This is smart, common sense legislation which gives parents the ability to protect their kids while respecting the First Amendment. While our first choice is to see the airline industry self-regulate, in the absence of concrete and accountable industry self-regulation, we fully support the “Family Friendly Flights Act.” We extend our thanks to Congressman Heath Shuler (D, NC) and Congressman Walter Jones (R, NC), for co-authoring this Bill – as well as to the many co-sponsors of the “Family Friendly Flights Act” who span both parties and the entire nation. Ultimately choice of when and if a child should be exposed to images of murder, torture, death and rape rated “PG-13” for violence or rated “R” is one that should be made by parents, not airlines.

Read a draft of the legislation (pdf)

Current co-sponsors are:
1. Walter Jones (R-NC)
2. Joe Donnelly (D-IN)
3. David Price (D-NC)
4. Baron Hill (D-IN)
5. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
6. Zach Wamp (R-TN)
7. Mark Souder (R-IN)
8. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL)
9. John Duncan (R-TN)
10. Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
11. John Barrow (D-GA)
12. Lincoln Davis, (D-TN)
13. Brad Miller, (D-NC)
14. Bart Gordon, (D-TN)
15. Dan Boren, (D-OK
16. Jo Ann Emerson, (R-MO)
17. Dave Weldon, (R-FL)


What Effect will the "Family Friendly Flights Act" Have on Airlines and Airline Movies?

The bill introduced in The U.S. House of Representatives in September has no effect whatsoever on which films the airlines show on personal screens. It also has no effect on the seating configuration for planes that don't have publicly viewable (or overhead) screens. Further, it has no impact on flights with overhead screens when the films shown are rated G or PG and the television content is rated TV-G. The FFFA does require airlines to create a section on the aircraft where kids won't be exposed to the media content when there is a) an overhead or publicly viewable screen and b) the film show is rated PG-13 or R and/or the television content is rated TV-MA (for mature audiences).


New York Times Front Page Story

The New York Times ran a front page article on 9/1/07 detailing the airline industry's move toward airing increasingly violent films on publicly viewable overhead screens, now including "R" rated films.

A Continental Airlines spokesman was quoted in the NYT as saying:

"Parents have to be responsible for the actions of their kids — whether they shouldn’t look at the screen or look away."

"People love Pepsi, and we don’t serve that, so there you go, we just ruined their flight. That’s an accurate analogy.”

Read New York Times article >>


Common Misperceptions About Us

- We are not asking airlines to entertain our kids and we are not asking airlines to air so much as a single children’s movie

- There are plenty of adult-themed movies which do not contain violent images which are perfectly suitable for publicly viewable in-flight entertainment

- We are not concerned with violent films shown on individual screens

- We are not collecting donations and we're not suing the airlines.


FACTS

- Airlines ask Hollywood to edit films for nudity, sex, obscene language and plane crashes. They are not concerned about violence.

- Children under the age of six are incapable of distinguishing between reality and make-believe, no matter how carefully an adult attempts to explain the difference

- No government agency has regulatory authority over in-flight entertainment – not DOT, FAA, FTC or FCC.

- Even though Airlines are now movie theaters, they are not members of the MPAA and so they don’t follow MPAA rating guidelines – as a result, PG-13 films are being shown to children of all ages on airline flights.

- The PG-13 rating was created in 1984 to allow teenagers aged 14-17 to see films that without the PG-13 rating would have been rated R.

- According to the MPAA: “A PG-13 film is one which leaps beyond the boundaries of the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, or other contents. Parents, by the rating, are alerted to be very careful about the attendance of their under-teenage children.”

- If a child-care facility aired these movies they would face criminal and civil charges. Children simply should not see these images.

- Parents can and do many things to entertain and distract their kids on flights. That said, no one can tell a 3-year-old, never mind an 11-year-old where to look. Even without purchasing headsets, there is always the risk that a child will look up at an inopportune moment and see images that even Hollywood agrees they shouldn’t see.

- Unaccompanied minors don’t have the benefit of a parent attempting to protect them from seeing these films and, given that they’re traveling alone, are probably left staring at the movie screens regardless of whether or not the flight attendants give them a headset.


LINKS

aap logo
ama logo

For more information on the impact of entertainment violence on children, read this joint statement published and signed by the American Medical Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics and others.

Also read this article by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Media Violence.

 

 



“Violent content should be trimmed a little more carefully from some in-flight movies.”

- Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper at the Movies


roeper

WE NEED YOUR
SIGNATURE

We are asking for your help. Please go to the link and sign our petition. You can also refer to the FAQ link for answers to additional questions and/or email questions and comments to us.

Jesse & Helen Kalisher

Contact:
(919) 967-4300, xt.21


Advisory Board

Dr. Laura Jana, M.D.
- Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics
- Best-Selling Author: Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality
- Co-Founder: The Dr. Spock Company

-
Dr. Victor Strasburger, M.D.
- Professor of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico

Dr. Katherine Frederick M.D.
- Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics
- Practicing Pediatrician, Scarsdale, New York



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THE FILMS

One or more of these films has appeared on publicly viewable screens on United, US Air, Delta, American and Continental.

Shooter - R for Violence
Fracture - R for Violence
300 - R for Violence
Spider-Man 3 - PG-13 for Violence
X-Men, The Last Stand - PG-13 for Violence
Casino Royale - PG-13 for Violence
MI III - PG-13 for Violence
King Kong - PG-13 for Violence
Gridiron Gang - PG-13 for Violence


KID FRIENDLY AIRLINES

- Southwest - no films

- JetBlue - 100% individual screens

- Virgin Atlantic -
100% individual screens
"Parents may limit the choices children have in programming, plus a message warned all passengers to "shield your screen" to prevent children from accessing unsuitable content in-flight. "