[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 22 (Monday, June 7, 1999)]
[Pages 1011-1012]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Federal Trade 
Commission on a Study on Youth Violence and Media Marketing

June 1, 1999

Dear Madam Attorney General:  (Dear Mr. Chairman:)

    New technologies have enabled us to learn, work, and grow in ways 
that were unimaginable just a few years ago, and modern media has 
brought culture, entertainment, and education to a wider audience than 
ever

[[Page 1012]]

before. With this great power, there also comes an enormous 
responsibility to ensure that parents have the tools they need so that 
the movies children watch, the music they listen to, and the video games 
they play reflect the values that parents want to pass on to their 
children.
    Too often today children are exposed to images that glamorize 
violence and desensitize children to it. Numerous studies have shown 
that this kind of violent programming can promote violent tendencies in 
children. Media violence increases children's aggression towards others 
and promotes the development of a sense of callousness towards violence. 
And such programming can have a particularly negative effect on children 
who are already vulnerable.
    My Administration has worked hard to give parents the information 
they need to make the right choices for their children. My 
Administration has brought about a breakthrough agreement by the 
television industry to create a content-based voluntary ratings system 
that informs viewers of the appropriateness of the programs they watch. 
Along with the V-Chip, this rating system will enable parents to choose 
the programs their children watch, and allow them to better control the 
images to which their children are exposed.
    Today, the motion picture, recording, and video game industries also 
use content-based ratings to improve the choices parents have. If, 
however, these industries market violent or other inappropriate 
materials, rated for adults, to children, then they undermine the 
effective functioning of the ratings systems. And the industries make it 
harder for parents to control the movies, music, and games to which 
their children are exposed.
    Therefore, I am requesting that the Federal Trade Commission and the 
Department of Justice to conduct a study on the marketing practices of 
the motion picture, recording, and video game industries with regard to 
material rated for adults to determine whether and to what extent these 
industries market such material to children. Among other matters, the 
study should examine whether such violent material rated for adults is 
advertised or promoted in media outlets in which minors comprise a 
substantial percentage of the audience. The study also should examine 
whether these advertisements are intended to and in fact attract 
underage audiences.
    As a result of this study, we will learn more about how violence is 
marketed to our children. I thank you for your efforts in this area and 
your attention to this project.
    Sincerely,
                                            William J. Clinton

Note: Identical letters were sent to Attorney General Janet Reno and 
Chairman Robert Pitofsky of the Federal Trade Commission.