ESA announces PSA campaign to educate parents on game ratings, parental controls

The ESA will launch a national campaign to provide parents with more information on video game ratings and console parental controls, the organization announced today.

The campaign will include a series of public service announcements discussing current hardware parental controls and the ratings policies of the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

According to the ESA, the industry will also encourage video game retailers to display more information on game ratings and parental controls in their physical storefronts and on their websites. The ESA also plans to work with government policy makers on bringing ESRB ratings to social and mobile games, as well as support organizations using video games for educational purposes.

The ESA plans to debut the new series of PSAs, which will expand on materials currently available on the ESRB website, on video game platforms as well as encourage broadcasting outlets to run the videos on local channels. The PSAs will also be provided to retailers for use in-store and on their official websites.

"No one knows better than parents when it comes to making decisions about which games their children should and should not play," U.S. Senator and member of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee John Thune said in a press statement. "The video game industry makes games for people of all ages, but that doesn't mean all games are appropriate for everyone. I commend the industry for raising awareness of the tools available to parents that can help them make informed decisions about the games their children play."

"The more parents know about the wealth of dynamic tools the video game industry has developed for monitoring game play, the more empowered they will be to make informed decisions about which video games are appropriate for their family," added congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. "I commend the video game industry for recognizing the importance of educating and engaging parents about the ratings and other resources and for leading a national program that will ensure the decision-making power remains where it should be — with parents."