– Parental Control Tips –
take
control
it’s easy
Choosing TV Programs That
Are Right for Your Family
MAKE SMART CHOICES
for your family
Cable offers great programming choices for each
member of your family, but we also understand that
not all TV shows are right for all family members.
Here are some tips to help you make the right
choices for your family. First, decisions about
what to watch should be made with the help of a
responsible adult. If there are channels or programs
you don’t want your family to see, you have options
to control them easily using parental controls
offered by Mediacom, the V-Chip in your TV set,
and the TV Parental Guidelines ratings system.
For more information about how to use these tools,
contact Mediacom or visit ControlYourTV.org.
USING PARENTAL CONTROLS
from Mediacom
Mediacom gives you easy-to-use options to control
your TV using parental controls built right into your
cable box. Using a Personal Identification Number
(PIN) code as a password, you can block channels
(with an analog or digital box) or programs (with a
digital box), making them available only to those
who know the password. The digital boxes
Mediacom uses allow you to block channels or
programs in a variety of ways:
CONTROL
at your fingertips
CHANNEL BLOCKING – You select an individual
channel or sets of channels to be blocked
at all times unless a PIN password is used.
TIME AND DATE – You select the date, time and
channel to block.
TV RATINGS – You select programs to block
based on their TV ratings, also called
the TV Parental Guidelines.
ControlYourTV.org
If you don’t have a cable box, upon your request
Mediacom can block channels using an electronic
filter that’s installed on the cable equipment
outside your home, which “traps out” a particular
channel. Alternatively, Mediacom can provide you
with a set-top box for channel-blocking purposes.
TV RATINGS AND THE V-CHIP
You can also control the programs your family
watches by using the TV ratings in conjunction
with the V-Chip—a device found in most newer
TV sets—using an on-screen menu of options.
Most programs on cable or broadcast television
today carry a TV rating, which appears in the
upper left corner of your television screen at the
beginning of a show. These ratings, or TV Parental
Guidelines, are designed to give you information
about the content of television programs and to
help you decide if they are appropriate for your
family.
For more information about parental controls
offered by Mediacom, the V-Chip and
TV Parental Guidelines, contact Mediacom
or visit ControlYourTV.org.
PARENTAL CONTROL OPTIONS
to restrict television viewing
Mediacom offers parental controls for all of the
basic and digital cable programming that comes into
your home. You can select the programming that’s
right for your family, and block unwanted programs.
Parental controls work whether you’re not at home
or in the room viewing with your children.
1. Mediacom Filter
For customers with LOCAL PLUS or FAMILY TV
service, Mediacom can install a filter, often referred
to as a trap, on the cable equipment outside your
home. This filter will block unwanted channels until
the device is removed. Filters may impact reception
on adjacent channels, and there are some limitations
on the number of traps that can be installed.
For more information, please call 1-888-847-6228.
2. Using the TV Ratings System and V-Chip
3. Mediacom Digital Cable TV
The television industry has developed ratings systems
for viewers to monitor content of programs. This ratings
system for viewers to monitor content, known as the TV
Parental Guidelines when used in conjunction with the
V-Chip, a filtering device installed in most TV sets since
2000, allows viewers to block unwanted programs. To
learn more about the TV ratings system and television
sets containing the V-Chip, please visit the television
industry’s website at www.tvguidelines.org
Every Mediacom digital cable TV package
utilizes a digital set-top box. Included in all
digital TV packages is the Interactive Program
Guide channel with advanced Parental Control
features, giving viewers the greatest flexibility
to block and unblock individual programs or
restrict programs across all cable channels with
particular ratings such as all R-rated programs.
ALL CHILDREN. The program is designed to be
appropriate for all children, specifically very young
children, including children from ages 2-6.
DIRECTED TO OLDER CHILDREN. The program may be
more appropriate for children able to distinguish
between make-believe and reality. Themes and
elements in this program may frighten children under the
age of 7. Parents may wish to consider the suitability of the
program for their very young children.
DIRECTED TO OLDER CHILDREN — FANTASY
VIOLENCE. For those programs where fantasy violence
may be more intense or more combative than other
programs in the TV-Y7 category, such programs will be
designated TV-Y7-FV.
GENERAL AUDIENCE. Most parents would find the
program appropriate for all ages. It contains little
or no violence, no strong language and little or no
sexual dialogue or situations.
PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED. The program
contains material that parents may find unsuitable for
younger children. The theme itself may call for parental
guidance and/or the program may contain moderate violence
(V), some sexual situations (S), infrequent coarse language (L),
or some suggestive dialogue (D).
PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED. The program
contains some material that many parents would
find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age.
The program may contain intense violence (V), intense
sexual situations (S), strong coarse language (L), or intensely
suggestive dialogue (D).
MATURE AUDIENCE ONLY. The program is specifically
designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be
unsuitable for children under 17. The program may
contain graphic violence (V), explicit sexual activity (S), or crude
indecent language (L).
1
If you are a Mediacom customer without a digital
cable TV package and are interested in receiving
a digital set-top box which only provides access
to parental controls please call us for details at
1-888-847-6228. There is no additional charge.
To set up the Parental Code Lock:
1.On the digital remote, press the Menu button.
2.Highlight the Lock icon or Parental Control
in main menu.
3.Highlight Locks Set Up and press OK.
4.You will be prompted to enter your new PIN.
Enter any four digits you will remember but
others will not know.
BUILDING A PLAN
for your family’s TV use
Television can be an exciting window on the
world, but without guidelines or instructions
about how to interpret messages, children may
be exposed to programming that is confusing,
frightening, or otherwise inappropriate. One
solution, according to a recent report, is for
parents and other caregivers to work with their
children to develop their own comprehensive
family media plan, including TV viewing.
Navigating the Children’s Media Landscape:
A Parent’s and Caregiver’s Guide recommends
that families consider what effects their media
use practices can have on their children,
and provides ideas for helping parents and
caregivers select and use age-appropriate media
resources. The Guide, released by the National
PTA and Cable in the Classroom, the cable
industry’s education foundation, recommends
that families take the following steps to create
their own media plan:
5.You will be prompted to re-enter the code.
Type in the same number again.
• Identify your current family media practices
6.A screen with different types of locks will
appear. You can choose to lock channels,
movie ratings, TV ratings or particular
programs. Scroll through using the Up
and Down arrows.
• Educate yourself about children’s television
and the media landscape
7.Use the left and right arrows to select what
channel, program or rating that you want to lock.
8.When you find one, press the OK button. A
lock icon will appear to show that channel,
program or rating has been locked.
9.Continue until all desired locks are done.
10.Hit the Exit button on the remote to go back
to television viewing.
• Consider the unique stages and needs of
each child
• Select television programs and other media
for your family with purpose
• Encourage active, creative and open-ended
use of media
• Teach your children media literacy skills
For more information, or a copy of the report
Navigating the Children’s Media Landscape: A
Parent’s and Caregiver’s Guide, visit ciconline.org
or ControlYourTV.org.