1 MY CHILD AND THE SCREEN LES ENFANTS ET LES IMAGES This Guide was developed by the Régie du cinéma du Québec under the direction of Telesforo Tajuelo. The first section of thisGuide is based in part on theories developed by Université Laval professors Estelle Lebel, Département d’information et de communication, and Marguerite Lavallée, École de psychologie. Content Contributors Telesforo Tajuelo, PhD., Régie du cinéma Estelle Lebel, PhD., Université Laval Marguerite Lavallée, PhD., Université Laval Jean-Pierre Gagnon, Directeur de l’Administration, Régie du cinéma Charles Bélanger, Président, Régie du cinéma Research and Graphics Support France Charest, Régie du cinéma Content Development Advisor Benoit Gignac Translation Helen Debussy Graphic Design and Execution Sextans Régie du cinéma 390, rue Notre-Dame Ouest, bureau 100 Montréal (Québec) H2Y 1T9 www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca ISBN 978-2-551-23835-4 Dépôt légal – Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, 2009 Dépôt légal – Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, 2009 © Gouvernement du Québec, 2009 All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form whatsoever, partial or otherwise, is strictly prohibited without the consent of Les Publications du Québec. 4 MY CHILD AND THE SCREEN TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents THE RÉGIE IS BY YOUR SIDE 6 INTRODUCTION: YOUR CHILD IS SMART 7 SECTION A: DISCOVERING A NEW WORLD OF IMAGES Children’s needs 10 The good side of media images 10 Media images as educational tools 11 Every image has meaning 11 Media images rule 11 Violent media images 12 Learn to tell media images apart 13 What media images should my child not see? 14 Children are not all alike 21 Children’s personality… mediawise 21 Addicted to the screen 22 Media risks 25 Traumatizing effects 25 Fear 26 Being frightened is also “a bit of fun” 26 Alienating advertising 27 Can you do more to help your child negotiate media content? 29 Build a supportive environment 29 Talking always helps 30 Help your child to understand images 30 Put your child’s skills to work 31 Coping with unpleasant images 32 During viewing 33 After viewing 33 Régie du cinéma advisories 35 Internet 39 Youtube 40 Be a role model for your child 42 5 MY CHILD AND THE SCREEN TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION B: THE RÉGIE DU CINÉMA AND YOUTH PROTECTION Available resources 46 The Régie du cinéma and film rating 46 Films Ratings 48 Additional Advisory 50 “13 and over” means “13 and over” 51 SECTION C: OTHER RESOUrcES Other film rating systems 54 Television 56 The CRTC 59 Television and parental control 61 Television: organizations and programs 65 Videogames 67 Internet and Internet filter software 69 Microsoft 71 Additional internet resources 73 Telephone services 75 Consumer protection 75 General interest resources 76 Some useful links for parents 78 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES 80 NOTE 1 : Throughout this Guide, and when the context so requires, singular masculine gender forms such as “he”, “his”, “him” and “himself” are used to denote both the masculine and feminine and the singular and plural forms. NOTE 2 : Addresses (e-mail or website) and telephone numbers in this guide are subject to change. 6 MY CHILD AND THE SCREEN THE RÉGIE IS BY YOUR SIDE The Régie is by your side Our children face today an explosive offering of images and more images – not all appropriate for their eyes – that they must quickly learn to interpret and manage effectively. For some 40 years now, the Régie du cinéma has provided guidance to Quebecers on film productions offered to the public, drawing on extensive expertise that has earned it inter- national recognition. In particular, we have made it our task to help parents make informed decisions by alerting them to certain film content that is unsuitable foryounger viewers. The Régie is now proud to bring to you My Child and the Screen, a publication conceived as a natural extension of our services to the Quebec population. I hope that you will find the practical advice in this guide useful. We have made every effort to make it as easy to use as possible. The education and development of your children is in your hands. As you rise to that wonderful challenge, we stand by your side to support you. That is our mission. Enjoy your reading! CHArlES BÉLANGER Président 7 MY CHILD AND THE SCREEN INTRODUCTION Introduction Your child is smart When in front of a screen, children between the ages of 8 and 12 are exposed to “media” images, and they quickly develop certain skills that allow them to grasp the message behind the image. At 8, your child may be partially capable of decoding the images he is watching but some barriers still exist. These limitations are frequently the result of his being unaware of the risks posed by excessive consumption of, or exposure to, “shocking” content that he is not, for want of experience or ignorance of the means employed to make these images appealing, yet ready to process. Images help children expand and enrich their knowledge and get to discover the world around them, and are thus an inescapable building block in their development. But that purpose can easily go astray. You can help make this visual adventure safer for your child. First and foremost, you should be sure to create an enviroment that encourages and is conducive to open communication with your child. Secondly, you should learn to see the “good” and “bad” of media images, and become familiar with the preventive and corrective strategies that are best suited to protect your child. We hope that the following pages will guide you on your road to becoming a confident, media-aware parent. Discovering a new world of images 10 MY CHILD AND THE SCREEN DISCOVERING A NEW WORLD OF IMAGES Children’s needs Babies are born into a universe that is rife with all manner of images. These visual stimuli provide them with ways to come into contact with the world around them. Children, however, need to be exposed to media images that are appropriate for their age. As they grow, they need to talk about the images they see and that may not be entirely suitable for them. They also need to develop critical thinking skills and learn to discriminate among the myriad images, many of them alluring and commercially- oriented, that surround them. All sorts of images packed in cartoons, audiovisual ads, websites, TV shows, movies and videogames are part and parcel of your child’s everyday experience of life. The good side of media images Visual stimuli present in children’s everyday life help them construct social relationships. Young people spend a lot of time chatting and using the Internet to establish and maintain communication with each other. They visit their friends to exchange or share computer-based games, rent DVDs to watch together, take and exchange photos on the Internet, etc. Throughout, they are swimming in a sea of images. Such devotion can only be explained by the fact that, today as always, images are more compelling than words. A moving picture invites a careful examination of motion (facial and body gestures) that children 8 to 12 years of age, with their sharp powers of observation, cannot resist. However, it should be borne in mind that, for children in this age group, the distinction between real and imaginary is still blurry. Through media images, they are able to learn from other people’s emotions, understand social relationships, identify social conventions, etc. An abundant exposure to visual stimuli brings children closer to the world of adults, even if their level of maturity will not allow them to understand that world fully. 11 MY CHILD AND THE SCREEN DISCOVERING A NEW WORLD OF IMAGES Media images as educational tools It is well known that images are a valuable pedagogical tool at school; they help children discover new things, encounter different models and find out, in their interaction with others, that these models may be interpreted in more ways than one. To help your child develop a critical eye for images: Encourage him to ask questions: Who are these pictures meant for? Why? How? Help him realize that media images may communicate a good or bad example, and that at times we may unconsciously follow that example without our knowing. One more tip: When talking with your child, you can try to show him that there are other things besides media images that can help him understand the world of images. Every image has meaning Images are not meaning-neutral. Your child should learn to observe them and decode their wealth in order to become a resourceful, critical and organized “reader” of images. In your role as a parent (or teacher), it is in your best interest to remain open to the universe of visual media and talk with your child about the images he sees. Talk with your child about what he sees. Do not lead him toward the “correct answer”, but help him to discover that the same movie, TV show, etc., may have as many interpretations as there are people watching it. Encourage your child to express in words his positive or negative feelings about what he has seen: this will help him make sense of it and share his experience. Media images rule Digital imaging technologies have placed digital cameras, the Internet, cellular telephones, etc. at everyone’s reach, unleashing an unprecedented and boundless flow of images that may, if misused, pose a threat to privacy. As a case in point, it is not unusual nowadays to expose oneself, willingly and for free, in front of a webcam. Sexual predators take advantage of these new trends, using photos and videos to single out children.