Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., hotlined a bill...
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., hotlined a bill Wednesday to authorize a study of the impact that violent videogames and video programming have on children (http://xrl.us/bn67vs). A “hotline” is an informal notification to Senators that they will be…
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asked to approve a piece of legislation without debate or amendment. Rockefeller introduced the bill less than a week after the deadly elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. “Major corporations, including the video game industry, make billions on marketing and selling violent content to children,” said Rockefeller in a news release. “They have a responsibility to protect our children. If they do not, you can count on the Congress to take a more aggressive role.” If enacted, the bill would direct the FTC and the FCC to work with the National Academy of Sciences to determine if violent programming and videogames have any harmful effects on children. The study aims to evaluate whether violent videogames and violent video programming causes children to act aggressively, has a disproportionately harmful effect on children prone to aggressive behavior, and has a direct and long-lasting impact on a child’s well-being, among other provisions. Rockefeller’s legislation would require the National Academy of Sciences to submit the findings of its report to Congress in 18 months. Rockefeller said that separately he will urge the FTC and the FCC to take a “fresh look” at the impact of violent videogames and video programming. “Recent court decisions demonstrate that some people still do not get it,” he said. “They believe that violent video games are no more dangerous to young minds than classic literature or Saturday morning cartoons. Parents, pediatricians, and psychologists know better. ... We need to do more and explore ways Congress can lay additional groundwork on this issue.” The Entertainment Software Association did not comment. The Parents Television Council separately commended some entertainment companies for altering their programming in response to the Newtown attack, and said their actions shouldn’t be temporary. “We applaud the positive actions of the entertainment industry -- but with an important caveat: act responsibly tomorrow, next week, and next year, as our nation heals from the Newtown tragedy,” said the group’s president, Tim Winter, in a press release.