Television Censorship

Would you prefer television censorship to prevail or abolished? This is still a cause of debate among governments, its people, and certain organizations. Censorship, in general, can be defined as editing or omitting materials from broadcast or print, which may be offensive to the social, moral, or political order. When in application to television, television censorship has varying degrees and mostly corresponds to the type of show or program.

Television censorship is practiced in many countries through the use of labels or ratings to classify TV programs. In the U.S., the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is a de facto regulatory organization that helps the industry conform with legislative decrees to protect children.

TV ratings
Television censorship in practice is the use of TV ratings, which aid adults in classifying TV programs suitable for little children as young as 2 – 6 years like the "All Children" rating. This rating refers to programs whether live or animated that contain themes or elements designed for very young viewers, and are not intended to frighten them.

The "Directed to Older Children" rating refers to TV shows and programs appropriate for children from age 7 and above who have acquired the cognitive skills to differentiate between reality and fantasy. These programs may contain mild violence through animation or those that could frighten very young children. "Directed to Older Children – Fantasy Violence" is the rating given to television programs whose elements contain dialogues and actions relating to more intense violence.

"General Audience" refers to TV programs that are conceivably suitable for all ages. Although these types of programs may not be intentionally designed for very young viewers, parents might allow their children to watch these programs unattended. It may contain dialogues or scenes with a mild or no violence, or does not connote sexual acts at all.

"Parental Guidance Suggested" is the rating for programs that contain materials not suitable for younger children. Parents are advised to watch this program with their children since programs tagged with this rating usually include moderate violence, few sexual situations, infrequent use of language, or some dialogues, which may be suggestive.

"Parents Strongly Cautioned" or PG13 is a rating that many parents would consider not appropriate for children below 14 years. This provides a stern warning for parents to exercise extra caution in allowing their children watch these programs.

Unlike in motion pictures, television censorship usually is stricter since the television is a mass media device, especially the free TV. The censorship board pre-evaluates any program prior to their broadcast.