NEW STUDY FINDS PARENTS ARE TUNING OUT VIOLENCE.

Byline: Brooks Boliek Hollywood Reporter

Parents are stalking out of movie theaters and flipping off television sets because they are disgusted with the violent content of films and TV shows, according to a new study by the American Medical Association.

The AMA found in its survey released Monday that 75 percent of American parents had walked out of a movie theater or turned off a TV show because of violent content.

``The American public may be tiring of violence in television and the movies. Fully two-thirds of all adults say they have turned off a television program or left a movie theater that was too violent. This is especially true of women (80 percent) and 89 percent of women with children, as well as 75 percent of all adults with children,'' according to the survey of 800 randomly selected voters nationwide.

While parents are voting with their feet and the remote control, they are also pushing the entertainment industry to take a more responsible role.

``Personal responsibility has been a theme in Washington this year, and this theme has resonated with voters,'' the AMA said in a summary of the survey performed Aug. 2-8 by the Global Strategy Group. ``Parents across the country appear to be asking Hollywood to make their jobs easier by giving them more information. Public opinion is behind the movement to rate the different forms of entertainment that children might see.''

According to the study, 68 percent of America's parents want a stronger, more effective movie rating system, while 81 percent want a ratings system for TV shows and computer games. Also, 72 percent want a ratings system for music. The study has a 3.5 percent margin of error.

``Parents are where the rubber meets the road,'' said Marjorie Hogan, a pediatrician and member of the AMA's expert review panel on media violence. ``What good is a ratings system or a V-chip without a caring, involved parent to put the tools to work for our kids?''

In an effort to help physicians aid parents in navigating the effects of media violence, the AMA released 13 guidelines for watching movies and TV shows, listening to music and playing computer games.

Among the suggestions are:

Be alert to the shows your children see.

Avoid using the media as a baby sitter.

Keep TVs and video players out of children's bedrooms and limit parents' own viewing.

Tell TV executives and show sponsors of specific concerns.

``It is tragically ironic that at the very time we are wringing our hands about violent behavior among young people, we are simultaneously entertaining them with it,'' said David Walsh, president and founder of the National Institute on the Media and the Family, who helped develop the guidelines.

Broadcast and movie industry executives agreed with some of the AMA's results and pointed out that they are already implementing some of the steps the organization enumerated.