ISBW #129 LITE- Content rating system for children’s books?
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I talk in this podcast about whether we should give children’s books content ratings like video games and movies.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Category: Audio, I Should Be Writing, Projects
Great podcast…I agree wholeheartedly with all of your points. I have worked in libraries (both as a paraprofessional and as a librarian) for the past 13 years and often run into these issues. It is very refreshing to hear a parent assert their right to determine what is or is not “good” for their own kids instead of abdicating that right to others or imposing their beliefs on other parents or children.
Too many people turn to ratings, filters, etc. as a way to ease the parental burden to be aware of the media that their children are exposed to. The problem is that the right, and the responsibility, of parents to maintain this awareness doesn’t stop with the advent of ratings. While such measures could be used as a red flag, too many people will expect them to be THE arbitrator of what is safe (whatever that means) and then turn around and hold publishers/authors responsible for rating potentially controversial works “incorrectly”. Or worse, we have a slew of watered-down works that no longer challenge children or their parents, no longer able to expose audiences to new and thought-provoking ideas that promote growth.