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 - 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. Support for the Bi-Partisan 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: 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: "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
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.
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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 KID FRIENDLY AIRLINES - Southwest - no films - JetBlue - 100% individual screens - Virgin Atlantic - |
