RUNNING HEADER: USE OF THE V-CHIP
Use of the V-Chip
Pierce Evans
Comm. Law
04/04/19
USE OF THE V-CHIP
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1. What is name of your article? When was it written and by whom? Where was it
published?
The article I have chosen is titled “Parents’ Use of the V-Chip and Perceptions of
Television Ratings: The Role of Family Characteristics and the Home Media
Environment.”. It was published in mid-2017 by Vaala, S. E., Bleakley, A., Castonguay,
J., & Jordan, A. B. and published in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media.
2. What are three main ideas in the article? Elaborate on each.
a. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 implemented a standard rating system for all media
from television, movies, music, and games. The goal was to empower parents and
institutions to make quick and informed decisions on the media displayed to minors. This
article cites many different studies that show the ratings system has made a major impact
on the understanding of parents. Although, the studies show an impact, many of the
individuals surveyed still did not fully understand what the different rating standards
meant.
b. Although many of the parents surveyed knew about the ratings system implemented by
the act in 1996, a majority of them did not know about the V-Chip technology that was
mandated for any television set made after 2000. “Most parents (74%) had reported that
they would use [V-Chip] technology […] only 30% programmed the V-Chip despite
receiving the information about the device and how to use it. Of those families, 27% used
the V-Chip consistently […] and 58% opted to quit using it”. This article highlights the
good intentions of the mandate, but shows a complete lack of use by the end consumer.
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Furthermore, this article states that “57% of parents who had purchased a television after
2000 were unaware of the presence of the V-Chip.”
c. The article takes a deeper dive into the demographics of the parents surveyed. The
parents who spent more time watching TV were more likely to implement the V-Chip
technology, while those who watched less TV were more likely not to know about it.
Moreover, females of non-Hispanic and non-African American families were more likely
to implement the technology than those parents who were less education in minority
families.
3. What is a strength of this article? Provide examples!
This article was packed with many studies that show the impact of the rating system and
the implantation of the V-Chip technology by parents. The authors cited studies on the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, studies on the rating system, V-Chip technology, TV
manufacturers, perceptions and hard data about the end user.
4. What is a weakness of this article? Provide examples!
For an article published in 2017, I would have expected more reference to newer tv
services such as Netflix or Hulu. Both of these services were well established in the
market and represented a large portion of their surveyed individuals. These services offer
different ways of limiting the types of content users can watch. Furthermore, this study
looks at the V-Chip technology imbedded in the TV. By 2010, a majority of the TV
world had switched to Digital HD signal and therefore required TV Boxes. As these
boxes were adopted and updated, many of them also included TV restrictions and guides.
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5. Does this article support or conflict with a Christian worldview?
This article supports a Christian Worldview. Those who subscribe to the Christian
Worldview should be aware of the content that their children consume. The rating system
and V-Chip technology helps empower parents to make smart decisions. This article does
highlight the lack of use of the technology and shows how many Christian homes could
have taken advantage of the mandated technology.
6. In summary, did you understand all of what this article was about?
I understood almost everything in the article. This article was highly cited and used
outside references that I would not have known without reading those research papers.
USE OF THE V-CHIP
References:
Vaala, S. E., Bleakley, A., Castonguay, J., & Jordan, A. B. (2017). Parents’ Use of the V-Chip
and Perceptions of Television Ratings: The Role of Family Characteristics and the Home Media
Environment. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media,61(3), 518-537.
doi:10.1080/08838151.2017.1344668
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