Media Literacy

* Re “Changing a Culture of Violence,” May 16.

Three cheers to Susan Rogers for her call to all of us to promote media literacy.

Our TV and movie ratings systems don’t work. Just look around next time you attend a violent PG-13 or R-rated film, and chances are you’ll see a 5-year-old in the audience. Many parents don’t “get” the fact that kids that age can’t distinguish between fact and fantasy, and that scenes depicting hideous brutality can be terrifyingly traumatic--plus send negative messages about conflict resolution.

Last fall I had occasion to meet with the editors of many top women’s and parenting magazines about children’s programming. One topic we discussed was this issue. While we shared private outrage at the potentially destructive effects of TV and movie violence on young children, the predominant response was that this issue was “old news.” Talk to leading child development specialists and pediatricians across the country, and you’ll hear a different story.

As Rogers expresses, it’s not any one institution or business sector, it’s all of us. A back-to-basics campaign educating parents and kids to be more media-literate would be a meaningful first step.

NINA STERN McCULLAUGH

Sherman Oaks