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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Wednesday, 22 April 2009 00:00 |
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 A recent study by developmental psychologist and Iowa State University assistant professor Douglas A. Gentile has found that  out of a randomly selected sample of American youths aged 8 to 18, one in ten exhibited signs of video game addiction, a problem that may cause health issues and interferes with school performance and relationships with friends and family.
"What's most concerning to me is really the total percentage, just the vast number of kids that are having real problems in their lives because they play games, and they may not know how to stop it," said Gentile in an article on HealthDay. "I think we're at the same place now with video gaming as we were with alcoholism 40 years ago."
Dr. Gentile began studying video game addiction in 1999 and is also the research director for the National Institute on Media and the Family. For more information on the study, see the article in HealthDay. |
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Monday, 20 April 2009 00:00 |
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 Dolphin Digital Media, a company that creates and manages social networking sites for children using state-of-the-art safety and age verification technology, has created a new family Internet safety solution.
Dolphin Secure has been designed to provide children with a safer online environment through a fingerprint verification system. Each time a child enters their user name, they'll be asked to log in using their fingerprint. The system then identifies each child by matching their fingerprint to a unique number inside Dolphin Secure, and upon identification, each child's personal, customizable home page with parameters set by a parent, can be viewed. Dolphin Digital Media, Inc. operates three business units: Dolphin Digital Media, US, is the developer and operator of secure on-line communities for young audiences; Dolphin Digital Media, Canada, operates Anne's World, the licensee of Annesdiary.com, the world's first secure social networking site for girls ages 5-14, and the first site to be launched using the Dolphin Secure technology; and Dolphin Digital Media, UK, is the developer and operator websites for theatergoers and playwrights.
To learn more about Dolphin Secure, visit their web site, www.dolphinsecure.com. |
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Thursday, 16 April 2009 00:00 |
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 Common Sense Media founder and CEO Jim Steyer spoke recently to Dallas parents about today's ever-changing technology and how to educate their children about using it wisely. Steyer's talk was part of the organization's Common Sense Schools Parent Media Education Program.
A new trend Steyer spoke of is "sexting", where teens send nude pictures of themselves via cellphone texts. It is more difficult to control, which is why he urges parents to help their children use technology wisely. An article in the Dallas News quotes Steyer:
"I teach sanity, not censorship," he says. "I believe in the First Amendment. I believe that we can achieve a really good quality of life for the kids if you have reasonable restrictions and teach them good critical thinking skills – it's always a balancing process."
The Common Sense Media web site offers parents a number of articles on "sexting" as well as tips on talking to your child about it. |
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Monday, 06 April 2009 00:00 |
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 Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, recently spoke at the 2009 CTIA Wireless Conference in Las Vegas about Internet safety for kids. KLAS-TV in Las Vegas reports that Balkam specifically warned about the impace social social networking sites, especially via cell phones:
"When you put a picture up on Facebook or MySpace, or you are interacting on these social networking sites that you are aware of, where that picture or that comment might end up, or the fact that it could remain there forever might impact a job application or a college application."
On April 22, 2009, FOSI and The Wireless Foundation will present a conference on mobile safety in Washington, DC. Click here to learn more about this event and the keynote speakers.
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Thursday, 26 March 2009 00:00 |
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 Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. vetoed two bills yesterday, one of which was HB353, the bill that aimed to crack down on retailers who sold inappropriate video games to minors when they advertised that they would not. An article in the Salt Lake City Tribune reports that the governor noted that the language of the bill is so broad that it would most likely be declared unconstitutional. Gov. Huntsman also believes that retailers would simply stop labeling their products altogether rather than risk the $2,000 fine:
"The unintended consequence of the bill would be that parents and children would have no labels to guide them in determining the age appropriateness of the goods or service," he wrote.
To learn more about the veto vote, including reaction from the bill's sponsor, Rep. Michael Morley, see the Salt Lake City Tribune's article.
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