PTC Applauds Sen. Markey for Kids Internet Design and Safety Act

The Parents Television Council applauded Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) for announcing legislation called the Kids Internet Design and Safety (KIDS) Act that would create a safer online environment for children. "Today’s digital media platforms bring extraordinary benefits to consumers, but they also bring a host of vexing challenges and concerns for parents and families. Children are at ever-greater risk of being exposed to toxic content, and we’re seeing evidence that the digital platforms they’re using are becoming increasingly addictive. Parents urgently need 21^st century solutions that will address the challenges of 21^st century media technologies, and we applaud Sen. Markey for his leadership on this crucial issue,” said Parents Television Council President Tim Winter “It is timely that Sen. Markey is announcing the KIDS Act while the Federal Communications Commission is simultaneously conducting a regulatory review of the TV Content Ratings System, which is intended to warn parents about explicit and age-inappropriate content on television. More than 1,700 public comments were posted on the FCC’s website about content ratings, and all but one – the comment filed by Hollywood lobbyists – call for improvements to that system. “Parents need reasonable, effective and constitutional remedies that will help them to protect their children regardless of the media platforms they’re using in their homes. We hope Hollywood -- and Silicon Valley -- will be responsible corporate citizens and step forward as partners in this issue.”