The V-chip Explained

If you watch television you’ve probably seen TVboss.org’s parental control commercials. These are the commercials where a parent tells a man yielding a chainsaw, a group of gang members or Mistress Mandy that’s he/she’s “going to have to block you” so the kids don’t see them on TV.

These commercials are referring to the V-chip. But many parents have never used their telvision’s V-chip. In fact some don’t even know what it is.

What is the V-chip?
The V-Chip is a small chip inside current televisions that allows parents to block certain programming from their children. It was part of Bill Clinton’s Telecommunication Act of 1996. Clinton said, “If every parent uses this chip wisely, it can become a powerful voice against teen violence, teen pregnancy, teen drug use, and for both learning and entertainment. We’re handing the TV remote control back to America’s parents so that they can pass on their values and protect their children.”

On January 1, 2000 the Federal Communication Commission began requiring all new television sets that are 13-inches or larger to include the V-chip. So if you bought your TV in the last 8 years it has a V-chip in it and you have the option to block violent or sexually explicit programming from your kids. But very few parents use this feature because they (1) don’t know it exists, (2) don’t know how to use it or (3) don’t understand the ratings system.

What is the ratings system?
The ratings system, or TV Parental Guidelines, is a voluntary system created by the television industry to help parents determine if a television program might be appropriate for their child. It is a code that is embedded in to the programming. Although it is voluntary, most programs do include the code.

The codes are broken in to two parts; (1) the audience and (2) content labels.

The audience label indicates the appropriate age level for the program. There are six audience labels:

• TV-Y which indicates the program is suitable for all children to watch. Themes in these programs are specifically designed for very young audiences, including children from 2- to 6-year-old. Think Dora the Explorer and Barney.
• TV-Y7 which is for children 7 and over. It’s more suitable for kids who can distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes in these programs may include mild fantasy violence or comedic violence. I think this would include shows like Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles.
• TV-G which is for general audiences. These programs are not designated specifically for children, but most parents probably wouldn’t have a problem with their child viewing these programs. Themes of these shows contains little or no sex, violence or inappropriate language.
• TV-PG imlies parental guidance is suggested. Parents may not want small children to view these programs or may want to watch the show with their child. Themes may contain moderate violence, some sexual dialogue or situations and/or infrequent coarse language.
• TV-14 suggests the program is suitable only for people over 14. Parents are strongly encouraged to monitor this program and cautioned against letting those younger than 14 view the program. Themes may include intense violence, intense sexual dialogue or situations and strong coarse language.
• TV-MA suggests the program may be suitable only for mature audiences and not for those under 17. Themes include graphic violence, explicit sexual activity and/or crude indecent language.

The content label indicates that a show may contain violence, sexual content or inappropriate language. These labels are tacked on to the end of the audience label (e.g. TV-Y7-FV). There are 5 content labels:

• D for suggestive dialogue (typically talking about sex)
• L for coarse or crude language (cursing)
• S for sexual situations
• V for violence
• FV for fantasy violence

You can see programs rating in TV listings in magazines or the newspaper, on your programming screen on your television, TiVo or DVR, and in the corner of your television screen during the first 15 seconds of each program. All television programming contains a rating except news, sports and some unedited movies on cable.

How do you program your V-chip?
You can block certain programs (such as anything TV-14 and above) with a few clicks of your remote. But each television is different so you need to check the manual that came with your television. If you’ve long thrown that out you can likely get instructions on the internet by searching for your TV model. We set a block on our TV for mature programming. It was really easy to set up. Even I figured it out.

There is a 4 digit numerical password so you can keep your older children from changing the settings. But make sure it’s not something your teen will easily decode. Also, it can be overridden and reset to 0000 if your teen finds the manual or does his own internet search. This was a feature built in for forgetful parents who may forget their code, but also works for teens who want to watch those programs you don’t like while you’re out for the evening. So don’t rely on the V-chip alone. Make sure you also discuss your views on appropriate television with your kids.

For more information check out the FCC V-chip website or the TV Parental Guidelines website.