The Coalition for Independent Ratings Services
is a non-profit organization that promotes independent ratings services. We believe is crucial that the groups rating the movies, TV, video games, etc are not the same ones who are trying to sell those products to you. Since they don't have a financial interest in any particular product, independent ratings providers can be much more objective.
The goal of this site is to be a "one-stop shop" for everything related to independent ratings systems and services.
Click the links above to
- Read our blog
- Read the latest news related to ratings
- See the most complete list of independent ratings on the web
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News
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Friday, 26 June 2009 00:00 |
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 According to one Oklahoma senator, some video game developers should be eligible for tax breaks. In an article on VGWatchdog.com, Senator Anthony Sykes has proposed a measure that would give tax breaks to game developers -- only if their projects are eligible for a T (13+) or lesser rating from the ESRB. Senate Bill 644 reads:
"A rebate in the amount of up to seventeen percent (17%) of documented expenditures made in Oklahoma directly attributable to the production of a film, television production, television commercial, or video game as defined in Section 3623 of this title, in this state, may be paid to the production company responsible for the production if the Office of the Oklahoma Film and Music Commission determines that the proposed project has a reasonable chance of economic success."
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Friday, 12 June 2009 00:00 |
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 Apple has announced that its new iPhone will feature controls that will give parents the ability to decide what music, videos, and applications their children can access based on ratings, but the ESRB wants Apple to go one step further. ESRB president Patricia Vance is calling on Apple to adopt its game classification system for the iPhone. In a statement to Kotaku, Vance said:
"ESRB ratings empower parents to do their job," said ESRB president Patricia Vance. "Considering the fact that the vast majority of parents are already aware of and regularly using ESRB ratings, Apple's adoption of them for iPhone games seems like a no-brainer. Apple just announced that the parental controls for the new version of the iPhone will block movie and TV content based on their respective ratings. Adding ESRB ratings to the controls they already plan to offer would give parents the ability to exert control over the games their children play as well."
To date, Apple has not responded to ESRB's request. |
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Thursday, 04 June 2009 00:00 |
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 Noted pediatrician and Chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine Dr. Victor Strasburger has authored a new study on the effects of media on children's health. He found that easy access to a wide variety of media can increase a youth's risk for health issues such as obesity, drug use, and early sexual activity. HealthDay reports on this study, and quotes Dr. Strasburger on this issue:
"The media are not the leading cause of any pediatric health problem in the United States, but they do make a substantial contribution to many health problems," Strasburger said. "Parents have to change the way their children access the media -- not permitting TV sets or Internet connections in the child's bedroom, limiting entertainment screen time to less than two hours per day, and co-viewing with their children and adolescents."
The article, "Media and Children: What Needs to Happen Now?", appears in the June 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, which is devoted exclusively to children's health. |
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Monday, 01 June 2009 00:00 |
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 Today marks the start of National Internet Safety Month, introduced by the US Senate to raise the level of awareness of the need for online safety. As part of the campaign, the Family Online Safety Institute's CEO, Stephen Balkam, and AT&T's Brent Olson issued statements supporting the need for Internet education and responsibility. Says Balkam:
“FOSI supports Internet Safety Month and we hope that by raising awareness during June and promoting a ‘culture of responsibility’ where government, law enforcement, industry, teachers, parents and even kids themselves, all take part in establishing a safer internet, kids will begin to make wise choices online.”
Click here to read more from FOSI's web site.
Coincidently, the first meeting of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration's newly formed Online Safety and Technology Working Group will take place during Internet Safety Month on June 4. The Group, established by the "Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act", will work with federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, FCC, and Department of Education, to evaluate industry efforts and make recommendations promoting online safety for children through education, labeling, and parental control technology. Learn more about the Group and its first meeting here. |
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Wednesday, 27 May 2009 00:00 |
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 In a December 2008 analysis of YouTube, the Parents Television Council found that the video service’s gating procedures did not adequately protect children from obscene language found in comments attached to videos of teen stars like Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. Five months after the report, YouTube has now provided users the ability to filter comments. The PTC applauds this move by YouTube in a press release on its web site:
"YouTube is to be commended for providing a solution to a substantial problem, which was one of our requests to the company upon finding that YouTube's gating mechanisms did not shield kids from harmful and offensive profanity in the text commentary. Parents are grateful for YouTube's action to protect their children," said PTC President Tim Winter.
YouTube explains how to use this filtering feature here. |
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