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Court says state can't stop kids from buying "mature" video games
State lawmakers wanted to prevent kids under the age of 17 from renting or buying violent video games. They even passed a law two years ago. But a federal court quickly put an injunction on the law in 2006, and on Monday, an appeals court upheld that injunction. "The finding is not surprising," says Dr. David Walsh with the National Institute on Media and the Family. "The bar we have to override the first amendment is a very high bar." The law would've fined kids up to $25 for buying or renting games with a "Mature" or "Adults Only" rating. It also would've required stores to put up signs warning of the fines. But a three-judge panel ruled Monday "violent video games are protected free speech," even for children. The state of Minnesota argued such games cause psychological harm to children. But the judges say the state didn't offer enough proof. "This ruling is consistent with other rulings," Walsh says. "And it reminds us that the responsibility is ours - the parents." Some parents do take that responsibility seriously. "We try to watch, see what he's doing," says Phoebe Gerdes, who was shopping Monday with her 11-year-old son. But at Hi-Score Video Games in the Mall of America, Paul Rabenort sees a number of kids trying to buy very violent games. He says a ten-year-old recently wanted to purchase a Grand Theft Auto game. "I'm like, 'Well I need your parents,'" Rabenort recalls. "He ran and got his mom. The outcome was typical, though. She said, 'O.K.' He was ten years old and that game was as bad as it gets." Hi-Score, like most other major retailers, doesn't sell mature video games to kids without their parents' permission. "We need to pay attention to the games our kids are playing," Walsh says. "Pay attention to the ratings and make sure the games are age appropriate. We can't rely on the government to do it for us." The Minnesota Attorney General's Office will now review the appellate court's decision, then decide whether to appeal.
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