PTC Colorado Springs Chapter Finds Area Retailers Above Average in Checking Minors’ IDs

Circuit City Is Lone Local Retailer Selling Adult Content to Minors

 

Colorado Springs (July 24, 2008) – The Colorado Springs Chapter of the Parents Television Council™ (PTC)  released the results of its local Secret Shopper Campaign, which revealed that locally Circuit City violated its own internal policies and sold an adult game to a minor.  Nationally, PTC chapters found that video game retailers sold Mature-rated video games to minors 36% of the time. In Colorado Springs, however, only one of six stores visited ignored the age restrictions and failed to card a 15-year-old for adult entertainment.

 

“The national failure of these companies to take seriously their role in protecting our youth is appalling.  I am, however, proud that most of the retailers in our area appear to be living up to their own policies.  Adult games with sexual scenes and acts and extreme violence that the player doesn’t just watch, but participates in should never be near a child.  Similar to age restrictions on alcohol, tobacco, pornography and other products that are potentially harmful to children, parents deserve a reasonable expectation that age restrictions for adult entertainment products will be enforced at the retail level,” said Colorado Springs Chapter Director Eric Brookens.

 

“Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, and Blockbuster deserve praise here in Colorado Springs.  Unfortunately, excluding Best Buy, these stores do not follow their internal age restriction policies consistently across the country,” Brookens said.

 

In June of 2008, the Colorado Springs Chapter of the Parents Television Council conducted these six Secret Shopper visits as part of over 100 Secret Shopper visits by chapters nationwide.  PTC chapters sent children between 11 to 16 years of age to attempt to purchase M-rated video games, which are classified by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) as inappropriate for anyone under the age of 17. 

 

The retailers visited have company policies that require that video games not be sold to people outside of the ESRB assigned age classification.  The children were told to enter the chosen store, find an M-rated game and attempt to purchase it with cash.  They were instructed to never lie or misrepresent themselves during the process.  When games were purchased, the adult who had waited outside the store would return with the game and ask for a refund.

 

Further details on the results of the national campaign are available upon request or at www.parentstv.org.  Circuit City failed nationally 60% of the time; the store that failed in Colorado Springs is on North Academy.  More details on which stores were visited both locally and nationally are available at www.parentstv.org/gr/cosprings .