Blocking TV Violence

When children commit serious crimes, it's often blamed on the violent content they see in entertainment programs. Now, the FCC is requiring new television sets to have "v-chip" technology that allows parents to block programming that they think is inappropriate for their children. CBS This Morning has the details on how they work.

Television broadcasters are voluntarily encoding their programming so that v-chip television sets can detect it. The parent turns on the television, clicks the remote and walks through a menu of options to block out selected programming.

Networks use both an age-based rating system that flags incidents such as violence, sexual situations, or vulgar language for younger viewers, and letter notations such as "v" for violence or "l" for language.

Once the parent blocks a program, the channel will display only a message that says something like "program content rating exceeded." Different wording is used by various television brands.

The block can't be removed by the child, assuming he or she does not know the code.

Blocking options also depend on the manufacturer. On Panasonic televisions, for example, a parent can block programming for 24 hours, 48 hours, or permanently.

Manufacturers are required under the Communications Act of 1996 to have v-chip technology in 50 percent of their televisions that are 13 inches or larger by July 1 of this year. By January 2000, v-chips have to be in 100 percent of new televisions. So far, manufacturers say they are on target to meet or exceed the requirement.

Experts, however, warn that v-chips can't replace parental guidance.

V-chips are as easy--or as difficult--to use as VCRs. Once you read the manual and get the hang of it, it takes only seconds to use.