Stop PG-13 Blockbusters from Targeting Preschoolers

In response to a complaint filed by CCFC in 2007, the Federal Trade Commission urged the Motion Picture Association of America—the self-regulating body of Hollywood movie studios that administers film ratings in the United States—to develop a policy to “ensure that PG-13 movies are not marketed in a manner inconsistent with their rating.”  Sixteen months later, the MPAA has not honored that request, and children's television stations continue to barrage young viewers with ads for violent PG-13 movies and their related merchandise. The PG-13 rating bears the warning “Parents strongly cautioned: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.”  

Since March, CCFC has logged over 3,000 ads on children’s TV channels for five PG-13 films: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen; Terminator Salvation; Star Trek; X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the upcoming GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Last month CCFC sent another letter to the FTC documenting the continued failure of the movie industry’s self-regulation, and urging the Commission to take action.   

Now the FTC needs to hear from you.  Use the form below to sign CCFC's petition to the FTC urging them to stop the marketing of violent PG-13 films to young children. We’ll deliver the petition, along with your comments, to the FTC before the August 7^th premiere of the last of this summer’s violent PG-13 blockbusters, GI Joe -- rated PG-13 for “strong sequences of action violence and mayhem throughout.”

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Dear Chairman Leibowitz, It’s been over sixteen months since the Federal Trade Commission’s staff urged the Motion Picture Association of America to develop an “explicit policy, incorporating objective criteria” to “ensure that PG-13 movies are not marketed in a manner inconsistent with their rating.” So far, the MPAA has refused that request. This summer children are once again being inundated with ads for violent PG-13 blockbusters, like "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "Terminator Salvation," as well as their related merchandise. Since March 17, 2009, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood documented over 3,000 advertisements for violent PG-13 films—including their licensed toys and respective fast food promotions—that aired on children’s television stations like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network at times when young children were likely to be watching. The upcoming film, "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra," based on the Hasbro action figure, promises yet another wave of marketing that turns children into lobbyists for media that glorifies violence, and that their parents may not want them to see. Marketing PG-13 films to young children sends a confusing message to parents and increases the likelihood that kids will be exposed to media content that even the film industry believes may be inappropriate for them. It’s too late to prevent this summer’s marketing storm, but you can protect children from future marketing maelstroms. Please stop the marketing of violent PG-13 movies to young children.

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Please enter your additional comments to the FTC below.

0-25 of 3748 signatures

Number	Date	Name	Location	Please enter your additional comments to the FTC below.
3748	February 28, 2013	Stacey Soaulding	Littleton, CO
3747	February 28, 2013	Stacey Soaulding	Littleton, CO
3746	August 15, 2012	Jean Smith	Mt Angel, OR
3745	August 06, 2012	Isobel Erickson	Lake Oswego, OR	THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! Our children are suffering & one young girl lost her life recently due, in part, to the targeting of young children for pg-13 & R rated movies!!!
3744	June 23, 2012	Martha Small	Colonial Heights, VA
3743	June 10, 2012		,	A 30 minute show contains 80% advertising. 80% of the advertising is false advertising. I trusted the FTC would monitor ALL ads for untruthfulness
3742	April 26, 2012	Joe Horihan	MN, MN	What goes in through our eyes and into our minds comes out in our lives. Let's turn things arund for the sake of future generations!
3741	July 19, 2011	Ryan Hyma	Austin, TX
3740	June 07, 2011	Jennifer Fleenor	Portland, OR
3739	February 10, 2011		,
3738	October 14, 2010	carolina caicedo	miami, FL
3737	October 13, 2010	Kelly Larson	Grosse Pointe, MI	Yes, as a responsible parent I can prevent my children from seeing inappropriate movies and TV shows, but advertising is a completely different issue. Please regulate violent ads where children can see them on billboards, Internet and daytime TV, etc.
3736	October 11, 2010	Lindsey Zucker	Lake Worth, FL
3735	October 10, 2010	Amy Roode	Rochester, NY
3734	October 06, 2010	taline Gharibian	La Crescenta, CA
3733	September 29, 2010	Lindsey Gruen	Albuquerque, NM
3732	September 28, 2010	Jennie Janzen	Cincinnati, OH
3731	September 23, 2010	Shauna Thomas	Portland, OR
3730	June 07, 2011	Shaun-Adrian Chofla	Sacramento, CA
3729	September 01, 2010	siobhan cafferty	chicago, IL
3728	August 26, 2010		,
3727	August 10, 2010	Stacy Eddy	CM, CA
3726	June 07, 2011	Shaun-Adrian Chofla	Sacramento, CA
3725	July 29, 2010	Dena Woods	Saint Louis, MO	When I take my child to see a movie he wants to see, I am shocked at the content and subject matter of some of the movies. But since my child see' s child character's that he looks up to, he automatically thinks he wants to see the movie.
3724	July 16, 2010	ANA VALDEZ	LIHUE, HI

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