TAKE CONTROL IT S EASY

Transcription

1 TAKE CONTROL IT S EASY Choosing TV Programs That Are Right for Your Family

2 MAKE SMART CHOICES for your family Cable offers great programming choices for each member of your family, but we also understand that not all TV shows are right for all family members. Here are some tips to help you make the right choices for your family. First, decisions about what to watch should be made with the help of a responsible adult. If there are channels or programs you don t want your family to see, you have options to control them easily using parental controls offered by Mediacom, the V-Chip in your TV set, and the TV Parental Guidelines ratings system. For more information about how to use these tools, contact Mediacom or visit Controlwithcable.org. USING PARENTAL CONTROLS from Mediacom Mediacom gives you easy-to-use options to control your TV using parental controls built right into your cable box. Using a Personal Identification Number (PIN) code as a password, you can block channels (with an analog or digital box) or programs (with a digital box), making them available only to those who know the password. The digital boxes Mediacom uses allow you to block channels or programs in a variety of ways: CHANNEL BLOCKING You select an individual channel or sets of channels to be blocked at all times unless a PIN password is used. TIME AND DATE You select the date, time and channel to block. TV RATINGS You select programs to block based on their TV ratings, also called the TV Parental Guidelines.

3 If you don t have a cable box, upon your request Mediacom can block channels using an electronic filter that s installed on the cable equipment outside your home, which traps out a particular channel. Alternatively, Mediacom can provide you with a set-top box for channel-blocking purposes. TV RATINGS AND THE V-CHIP You can also control the programs your family watches by using the TV ratings in conjunction with the V-Chip a device found in most newer TV sets using an on-screen menu of options. Most programs on cable or broadcast television today carry a TV rating, which appears in the upper left corner of your television screen at the beginning of a show. These ratings, or TV Parental Guidelines, are designed to give you information about the content of television programs and to help you decide if they are appropriate for your family. For more information about parental controls offered by Mediacom, the V-Chip and TV Parental Guidelines, contact Mediacom or visit Controlwithcable.org.

4 PARENTAL CONTROL OPTIONS to restrict television viewing Mediacom offers parental controls for all of the basic and digital cable programming that comes into your home. You can select the programming that s right for your family, and block unwanted programs. Parental controls work whether you re not at home or in the room viewing with your children. 1. Mediacom Filter For customers with LOCAL PLUS or FAMILY TV service, Mediacom can install a filter, often referred to as a trap, on the cable equipment outside your home. This filter will block unwanted channels until the device is removed. Filters may impact reception on adjacent channels, and there are some limitations on the number of traps that can be installed. For more information, please call

5 2. Using the TV Ratings System and V-Chip The television industry has developed ratings systems for viewers to monitor content of programs. This ratings system for viewers to monitor content, known as the TV Parental Guidelines when used in conjunction with the V-Chip, a filtering device installed in most TV sets since 2000, allows viewers to block unwanted programs. To learn more about the TV ratings system and television sets containing the V-Chip, please visit the television industry s website at ALL CHILDREN. The program is designed to be appropriate for all children, specifically very young children, including children from ages 2-6. DIRECTED TO OLDER CHILDREN. The program may be more appropriate for children able to distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes and elements in this program may frighten children under the age of 7. Parents may wish to consider the suitability of the program for their very young children. DIRECTED TO OLDER CHILDREN FANTASY VIOLENCE. For those programs where fantasy violence may be more intense or more combative than other programs in the TV-Y7 category, such programs will be designated TV-Y7-FV. GENERAL AUDIENCE. Most parents would find the program appropriate for all ages. It contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations. PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED. The program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. The theme itself may call for parental guidance and/or the program may contain moderate violence (V), some sexual situations (S), infrequent coarse language (L), or some suggestive dialogue (D). PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED. The program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age. The program may contain intense violence (V), intense sexual situations (S), strong coarse language (L), or intensely suggestive dialogue (D). MATURE AUDIENCE ONLY. The program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17. The program may contain graphic violence (V), explicit sexual activity (S), or crude indecent language (L).

6 3. Mediacom Digital Cable TV Every Mediacom digital cable TV package utilizes a digital set-top box. Included in all digital TV packages is the Interactive Program Guide channel with advanced Parental Control features, giving viewers the greatest flexibility to block and unblock individual programs or restrict programs across all cable channels with particular ratings such as all R-rated programs. If you are a Mediacom customer without a digital cable TV package and are interested in receiving a digital set-top box which only provides access to parental controls please call us for details at There is no additional charge. To set up the Parental Code Lock: 1. On the digital remote, press the Menu button. 2. Highlight the Lock icon or Parental Control in main menu. 3. Highlight Locks Set Up and press OK. 4. You will be prompted to enter your new PIN. Enter any four digits you will remember but others will not know. 5. You will be prompted to re-enter the code. Type in the same number again. 6. A screen with different types of locks will appear. You can choose to lock channels, movie ratings, TV ratings or particular programs. Scroll through using the Up and Down arrows. 7. Use the left and right arrows to select what channel, program or rating that you want to lock. 8. When you find one, press the OK button. A lock icon will appear to show that channel, program or rating has been locked. 9. Continue until all desired locks are done. 10. Hit the Exit button on the remote to go back to television viewing.

7 BUILDING A PLAN for your family s TV use Television can be an exciting window on the world, but without guidelines or instructions about how to interpret messages, children may be exposed to programming that is confusing, frightening, or otherwise inappropriate. One solution, according to a recent report, is for parents and other caregivers to work with their children to develop their own comprehensive family media plan, including TV viewing. Navigating the Children s Media Landscape: A Parent s and Caregiver s Guide recommends that families consider what effects their media use practices can have on their children, and provides ideas for helping parents and caregivers select and use ageappropriate media resources. The Guide, released by the National PTA and Cable in the Classroom, the cable industry s education foundation, recommends that families take the following steps to create their own media plan: Identify your current family media practices Consider the unique stages and needs of each child Educate yourself about children s television and the media landscape Select television programs and other media for your family with purpose Encourage active, creative and open-ended use of media Teach your children media literacy skills For more information, or a copy of the report Navigating the Children s Media Landscape: A Parent s and Caregiver s Guide, visit ciconline.org or Controlwithcable.org.

8 PARENTAL CONTROL TIPS CONTROL at your fingertips THE POWER TO SIMPLIFY Controlwithcable.org M PC BRO