Early adolescents’ views of media ratings in the context of a media literacy program in the U.S

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ratings and labels that warn audiences of sensitive content in media are largely in existence due to concern about potential media impact on young audiences. Largely absent from the research to date, however, are the voices of young people themselves on whether they find media ratings practices to be fair, accurate, and effective. Like many features of the media landscape, the current ratings systems may be taken for granted in the absence of media literacy education that specifically calls for their analysis and critique. In this qualitative study, 58 early adolescents provide open-ended responses to a number of questions designed to measure their views about media ratings and labels used in the U.S. within the context of an in-school media literacy program. Responses show that students learned from the media literacy discussions, applying concepts introduced, using logical reasoning to support their views, and expressing varying levels of critique of current ratings systems. Implications for the ability of early adolescents to use ratings to regulate their own media use are discussed.