the entertainment world that [their children] may encounter"(par 4). By rating cd's and not.
selling cd's with the rating of "R" to teens under 17 without an adult present, parents may better.
monitor their children's choice of music.
Children under 17 are not admitted to "R" rated movies without adult supervision because an R rating may be assigned to a film for its use of language, theme, violence, sex, or its portrayal of drug use("Everything You Wanted."). The same may be applied to the lyrics of a cd. For example, Lil Bow Wow, a 14 year old rap artist sings lyrics like "Yo I'm looking for girls. Girls that can give me puppy love Ya know? Yeah it's going down right here, dirty South rock on"(Wow, line 1-5). Youth at 14, the same age as Bow Wow, may not differentiate that Lil.
Bow Wow is far from a traditional teen. In "Puppy Love" Lil Bow Wow sings about getting the girls, and taking them home. In several other songs, he sings about making and spending enormous amounts of money, buying nice cars(which he can't even drive), and hang out all day. Youth wanting to be just like the rock star may begin to assume that Lil Bow Wow's life style is ideal. While, these lyrics are not likely to be considered explicit, the lyrics may not be appropriate for pre-teens. If the cd were rated like movies are rated, then the parents could decide if this cd would be appropriate for their child. .
Musical artists aren't about to change. They will continue to create their art. Movies are the same way, but the real difference between the two is the rating system. The Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA) feels that most parents believe in monitoring the music their children listen to. "Although parents may object to the small number of recordings that contain sexually explicit themes, violence, and/or strong language, for the most part, they resist censorship of any kind. Parents want to set the limits.
