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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Tuesday, 03 March 2009 00:00 |
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 Research by Iowa State University psychology professor Douglas Gentile--who in the past has conducted studies on the effects of violent media on children--and Linfield College associate psychology professor Jennifer Linder has shown that ratings of children's TV shows are not always indicitive of the aggressive content they may have.
For the study, 95 fifth-grade girls were asked to name their favorite television shows and how often they watched them. The psychologists then analyzed the nominated TV shows for indirect, verbal, and physical aggression and compared them with their industry ratings.
"Indirect aggression is identified as harmful behaviors that are non-physical," Linder said. "These include attempts to harm through techniques such as rumor-spreading, social exclusion and ignoring."
Higher levels of physical aggression were found in children's programs rated TV-Y and TV-Y7 than among programs for general audiences rated TV-G, TV-PG. Cartoons such as "Digimon," "Pokmon," and "Scooby Doo" were found to contain the highest level of physical violence, more the next highest category (TV-14).
To read the study in its entirety, visit Dr. Douglas Gentile's web site. |
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Friday, 27 February 2009 00:00 |
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 The fast pace of modern technology such as video games, TV shows and social networking sites could be re-wiring our children's brains, says Oxford University neuroscientist Susan Greenfield. These various types of media could be forcing their brains to revert to an infantile state, requiring constant stimulation.
"Electronic devices have an impact on the micro- cellular structure and complex biochemistry of our brains. And that, in turn, affects our personality, our behaviour and our characteristics. In short, the modern world could well be altering our human identity," says Dr. Greenfield. She goes on to say, "My fear is that these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment. We could be raising a hedonistic generation who live only in the thrill of the computer-generated moment, and are in distinct danger of detaching themselves from what the rest of us would consider the real world."
To learn more about Dr. Greenfield's beliefs, read her interview with the UK's Daily Mail Online. |
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Wednesday, 25 February 2009 00:00 |
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 Could there be a link between teenagers' music and their sexual activity? It's very likely, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In a recent study, 711 9th-graders in the Pittsburgh area were surveyed about their sexual activity and what songs they listened to most. After adjusting for influencing factors such as race and age, the researchers concluded that those who listened to music with overly sexual or degrading lyrics were most likely to copy what they heard.
But, says lead researcher and pediatrician Dr. Brian Pimack, there is a possibility that the teens who were more sexually active sought out this type of music.
US News and World Report provides more information on the study, which will be published in the April, 2009 edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Monday, 23 February 2009 00:00 |
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 The 2005 bill banning the sale of violent video games to minors that was later signed into California law has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. The decision states:
“We hold that the Act, as presumptively invalid content-based restriction on speech, is subject to strict scrutiny and not the “variable obscenity” standard from Ginsberg v. New York. Applying strict scrutiny, we hold that the Act violates rights protected by the First Amendment because the State has not demonstrated a compelling interest, has not tailored the restriction to its alleged compelling interest, and there exist less-restrictive means that would further the State’s expressed interest.”
Author of the law, Senator Leland Yee, says in a press release on his web site:
“California’s violent video game law properly seeks to protect children from the harmful effects of excessively violent, interactive video games. While I am deeply disappointed in today’s ruling, we should not stop our efforts to assist parents in keeping these harmful video games out of the hands of children. I believe this law will inevitably be upheld as Constitutional by the US Supreme Court. In fact, the high court recently agreed, in Roper v. Simmons (2005), that we need to treat children differently in the eyes of the law due to brain development.” |
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Saturday, 21 February 2009 00:00 |
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 In an effort to help parents monitor their children's online activities, Symantec's Norton consumer division has announced the launch of Norton Online Family. Through this software, parents can monitor online activities like what websites the kids are visiting and knowing whether they are claiming to be older on chat and social-networking sites. Parents can also restrict access to certain types of websites. To learn more about Norton Online Family and download a trial beta version, click here.
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