Some reality TV is suitable for kids, group says
Reality shows are among the best on television for children, a parents’ watchdog group says.
Of the shows currently popular among young people, “American Idol,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” are the most suitable, the Parents Television Council said.
“When we think of reality shows, we tend to think of offensiveness,” said L. Brent Bozell, the PTC’s president. “And yet, reality shows have gotten better.”
The group took Nielsen Media Research’s list of the 20 most-watched programs among children aged 2 to 17 over the last year and judged which they deemed suitable or unsuitable for them to be watching. Six got the green light, nine were judged not right for children and five were “questionably suitable.”
Half of the most popular programs among kids were scripted, including “Desperate Housewives” and “CSI,” but the PTC said only “The Simpsons” was deemed suitable.
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