FTC Finds It's Harder for Children to Purchase M-Rated Games These Days

The Federal Trade Commission has apparently been looking into just how easy it is for children adult-oriented media and just released their findings today. The organization sent out undercover shoppers aged 13-16 to various retailers to find out just how successful a minor would be at purchasing restricted content. Out of M-rated video games, tickets to R-rated movies, unrated or R-rated DVDs, and music labelled with a Parental Advisory, the FTC found that video games were restricted from 20% of minors, the lowest percentage out of all of them. Of the video game retailers, GameStop rejected 94% of underage shoppers – putting it at the top of the heap – while Hollywood Video came in at the lowest, rejecting 60% of underage customers.

Sure, they could do better, but these figures aren’t too bad, considering how much worse the other forms of media fared. What I’m more interested in knowing though is just what accounts for that 20%? Is it a lack of proper training, human error, or something else? I know I’ve personally rented out R-rated movies to kids on accident several times way back when I worked at Blockbuster during days when we were particularly slammed.

Via FTC

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