'Smart Television Alliance' to Promote Positives on TV for Children

WASHINGTON — Don't fuss at your children for watching racy shows like "Cane" or "Entourage." Instead, join them in watching "Naked Science" or "Hannah Montana" and talk about what you saw, advocates of "good TV" urged Tuesday.

"The last thing we want to do is censor. We just want to highlight the good," explained Susan Scanlon, chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations. "We don't want kids to watch more TV. We just want them to watch better TV."

Claiming tens of millions of members, the National PTA, National Education Association, Parents Choice Foundation, the YWCA USA, the National Military Family Association and other advocacy groups joined the council in announcing the formation of the "Smart Television Alliance."

Through a Web site and an electronic newsletter — plus a partnership with TiVo, the digital video recording firm — the alliance aims to use information about television programs and technology to promote the positive on TV.

While the main targets of the alliance are parents and caregivers, "I think the other people who will be listening are the advertisers," Scanlon said.

The networks and cable companies have developed a rating system for TV programs and the electronics industry has installed V-chips in television sets to enable parents to control viewing, but "these tools have unfortunately fallen short," said Warlene Gary, CEO of the National PTA.

"Parents need help," said Gary. She said surveys have shown that only 16 percent of parents have used the V-chip and only half even know the technology to block programs is embedded in their television sets. Only 30 percent of parents can name any of the TV program rating categories, and only 11 percent could define "TV-Y7," indicating a program may be unsuitable for children age 7 or younger, she added.

While public school students spend an average of 900 hours in a classroom during the school year, that compares to 1,023 hours in front of a TV screen in that same time period, said Reg Weaver, president and CEO of the National Education Association. And studies have shown that children who watch violent programs on TV are more prone to violent behavior in school, he said.

So teachers who belong to the NEA will receive information from the alliance on "appropriate programming" and its connections with "teachable moments," he said. "Like it or not, TV viewing remains the number one source of media consumption by children of all ages."

That's not all bad, said Claire Green, president of the Parent's Choice Foundation, a group that has been reviewing children's media and toys for three decades.

While there certainly are a lot of shows that children shouldn't watch, there are some they should see, she said. "Watching TV shows should be a choice — not a habit."

She said parents should know about "Critter Quest," a Smithsonian Channel show exploring backyards and examining bugs. She said the PBS program "Jakers" is another show parents should be watching with their children.

"Watch what your kid watches," she said. "Then talk about what you see."

Ultimately, the group hopes to influence TV programming, Scanlon said. If their efforts gain more viewers "for the bug show and Hannah Montana and the other good stuff on TV," then networks and cable companies will put more such shows on the air, she said.

But it's not going to happen quickly, she admitted.

On the Web:

Smart Television Alliance: www.SmartTelevisionAlliance.org