From the opening statement of Orrin G. Hatch: "Today, we will examine the antitrust implications of industry self-regulation and the constitutionality of governmental action. Our goal is to examine what appropriate action Congress can take, given the confines of the First Amendment, to assist the entertainment industry in limiting the exposure of our youth to explicit sex, violence, and other harmful material in music, movies, and video games, and I might add the Internet itself.
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission released a study that demonstrated how American media companies may be intentionally marketing harmful material to our children. The study's findings can be summarized in one sentence: some in the entertainment industry have deliberately forced violent and unsuitable material on the most vulnerable members of our society, our children, for the purpose of making money. The harmful effects of violent entertainment are no surprise to those of us who have studied this issue over the years.
But the point of today's hearing is not to belabor a conclusion we have already reached, and I want to be careful to avoid disparaging the entire entertainment industry because of the actions of some. It is important to recognize that America's entertainment industry can be a very positive force. Each of the industries at issue here--motion picture, recording, and video games--has developed voluntary ratings systems that either provide notice to parents about unsuitable content of certain products or that attempt to restrict the sale of unsuitable products to adults or mature audiences.
Unfortunately, as the FTC [Federal Trade Commission] report confirms, these efforts have failed to produce adequate or sufficient results. Hatch, Patrick J. Report Number: S. United States. Government Printing Office.
