- TORONTO (CP) -- Grand Theft
Auto, an ultra-violent adult video game that includes murder, pimps and
prostitution, is a favourite of boys in Grades 3 to 6.
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- Youngsters in Grades 7 to 10 watch R-rated movies on
home video. And even those kids who love The Simpsons and South Park TV
shows believe that younger children shouldn't be watching them.
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- These are some of the findings revealed today in Kids'
Take on Media, a study compiled for the Canadian Teachers' Federation.
It's considered exceptionally large for its sampling size and one of only
a few such surveys that ever asked children themselves what they think
about the media.
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- The study offered both encouraging and disturbing evidence
about the relationship to such pastimes as computer games, TV and movies
on video, how deeply involved kids are in the media around them and the
amount of parental supervision that is, or is not, taking place.
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- A key finding -- and a message to the entertainment industry
-- is that violence does not increase the appeal for kids, said federation
president Terry Price.
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- "You know, 75 per cent of the children and adolescents
chose their favourite television program based on 'exciting and funny'
rather than violence," Price said, conceding that for some youngsters
the difference between exciting and violent may be blurred.
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- The message to parents is clear, too, she added. "Watch
your kids, watch what they're doing and make sure that, like any other
diet, (their) media diet should be balanced."
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- Teachers, she said, can also take a message away from
the survey, about the depth of exposure today's kids have to the variety
of media out there.
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- "We need to create critical thinking skills about
the media just the way we do about other things when we teach young people."
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- As for Grand Theft Auto, it's a game not meant for anyone
under 17 but has been described as a delinquent's dream. The more people
a player kills, the higher his score as he mows down passersby in a stolen
muscle car.
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- Price said she herself has two sons and was aghast at
what happens on the game.
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- "It is a wake-up call in that sense. So, parents,
don't take for granted that what they're doing on a computer game is any
less damaging than what they might be watching in an R-rated movie."
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- Among the survey's findings:
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- - Forty-eight per cent of Canadian kids aged eight-15
have their own TV set and 35 per cent have their own VCR. Twenty-six per
cent are hooked up to the Internet and by Grade 10, 22 per cent have their
own cellphone.
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- - Younger kids are the most frequent video and computer
game players. From Grades 3-6, 60 per cent of boys play the games daily.
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- - Many kids say they've had no parental guidance on what
they can watch or play or for how long. Parents supervise game-playing
far less than TV viewing and parents' knowledge of the content of games
is either superficial or non-existent.
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- The survey was taken of 5,756 kids aged eight-15, from
every province and territory.
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- © Copyright 2003 Times Colonist (Victoria)
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- http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=0f9eeb84-9c7c-4279-81fa-b3ca69e8cd25
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