What Others Have to Say about the ESRB Rating System
U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT): "The rating system established by the ESRB is the most comprehensive and informational within the entertainment industry," said Lieberman. “Parents should understand and use the ratings to help them decide which video games to buy for their families." Lieberman also recognized "ESRB's ongoing commitment to helping parents make smart choices for their kids."
U.S.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY): "When a game is
rated M, it should mean something. The ESRB has put this system
in place so that parents, other consumers, and retailers will know
how best to identify the content and age-appropriateness of these products," said
Clinton. “They provide information to help parents provide
a healthy environment for their children. The ESRB has been critical
in setting forth the ratings, but the ratings only work if parents
understand them and if retailers enforce them."
U.S.
Senator John Ensign (R-NV): "It’s important that
each and every one of these millions of shoppers is aware of the ESRB
rating system, so they can better understand what’s in a game
and if it’s suitable for their families to play."
U.S.
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI): "The ratings system makes
it crystal clear whether or not the content of the video game is appropriate
for young children."
U.S. Federal Trade
Commission
Report to Congress on the Marketing of Violent Entertainment to Children, April 2007:
- "The [ESRB rating] system is a useful and important tool that parents increasingly use to help them make informed decisions about games for their children."
- "Nearly nine in ten [parents] are aware of the ESRB rating system, more than seven in ten use video game ratings when their child wants to play a game for the first time, and three quarters of parents familiar with content descriptors use them."
- With respect to advertising guidelines, FTC reported that the ESRB "continues to set a high standard for the clear and prominent disclosure of rating information in television, print and the Internet."
PTA National President Jan Harp Domene: "Parents need an informative resource to ensure that the video games they are purchasing for their child are appropriate. The ESRB rating system is extremely useful to guide parents through this decision process and help them make sensible choices about games for their children."
County Executive Andrew Spano (Westchester, NY): "The ESRB ratings provide a helpful resource for parents in determining whether the video games that their children play are suitable. As the popularity of video games continues to rise, familiarity with the ratings system becomes all the more important."
Peter D. Hart Research Associates [PDF]: Survey of parents conducted in April 2007: "The number of parents nationwide that are aware of the ESRB ratings (89%) and using them regularly when choosing games for their families (85%) continues to grow with each year. In fact, not only are more parents using the ratings, they are using them more often than ever before."
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation: "Parents, Children & Media" June 2007: Parents said that among all entertainment rating systems (TV, movies, music and games), the ESRB ratings are the most useful, with 91% finding them "very useful" (58%) to "somewhat useful" (33%).
