In its fourth annual report on marketing violent entertainment to children, the Federal Trade Commission applauds and chides publishers.
The Federal Trade Commission yesterday released its fourth report on the marketing of violent movies, music, and games to children. The report noted important successes of game industry"s advertisement standards, called AdCode, but also pointed out several areas that the FTC feels need improvement. AdCode is designed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the industry"s self-regulating body.
The Commission found "substantial, but not universal, compliance" with the game industry"s advertising regulations. According to the current ESRB standards, companies cannot place ads for M-rated games where children under 17 make up a certain percentage of the audience--35 percent for television and 45 percent for print. However, some shows--the report named Total Request Live as an example--continue to run ads for M-rated games. Quoted from Gamespot