Most Parents Monitor Media, Still Worry

The Kaiser Family Foundation said that two-thirds of the parents it surveyed say they're very concerned about sex and violence that children are exposed to in the media, even as they monitor what their kids do and see.

However, there may be less worry than in the past. Since 1998, the proportions of parents very concerned about inappropriate content dropped.

Worries about sexual content dropped from 67 percent to 51 percent, from 62 percent to 46 percent for violence and from 59 percent to 41 percent for adult language.

The survey also indicated there would be broad support for the government getting more involved in what's aired; about two-thirds also said they would favor new federal limits on such material on television during early evening hours.

A news release from the foundation did not mention if this was just for broadcast TV or for all programming.

The report also found that two in three parents say they already track their children's television viewing and use of the Internet and video games, while one in five parents conceded they should do a better job of watching what their kids watch.

"While parents are still concerned about a lot of what they see in the media, most are surprisingly confident that they've got a handle on what their own kids are seeing and doing -- even when it comes to the Internet," said Vicky Rideout, vice president and director of Kaiser's Program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health.

More information on the survey is available from the Kaiser Family Foundation