Families with young children watch TV together at night. A TV program rating system is in place to make parents aware of shows, not to let impressionable youngsters watch, as they feature content geared toward more mature audiences.
Last week, a talent show turned into a horror show for a friend's daughter! American Idol ended an episode with a cliffhanger moment when one contestant passed out and fell off the stage. Well, my friends’ 7-year-old freaked out! Crying hysterically, thinking the worst had happened! She went to bed crying, and woke up crying! Not obscene, profane or offensive but for a family show, a cheap gimmick that traumatized a little girl unnecessarily, all in an attempt to boost tune in for the next show.
Poor judgment on the part of American Idol producers, but as higher ratings equal more money for networks it goes to show that with or without a rating system, with fewer ad dollars at stake and more and more competition for eyeballs TV shows will do whatever they have to, to get people to watch!
No matter how ethical or in this case unethical the methods; parents beware!
