JOE BACA
43RD DrsrRrcr. CaLTFoRNTA
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WAsHrNGroN, DC 2051 5-0543
PHorur: (202) 225-6161
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E-MArL: coNG.BAca@vnrr.uousr.cov
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SAN BERNARDTNo, CA 92401
PHoNE: (909) 845-BACA 122221
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August 2,2011
The Honorable Julius Genachowski,
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 lzth Street, SW
Washington,D.C.20554
Dear Chairman Genachowski:
I write to you in the hopes that you will consider an administrative solution to a regulatory matter
that I see as having a very detrimental effect on our nation's young people. Specifically, i am
concerned about the effect that violent video games can have on the development of America's
young people, especially as the use of video games become more prominent in our society. I have
long advocated stricter regulation for video games that display violent or sexually inappropriate
material, and have introduced and sponsored several pieces of legislation on this topii during my
time in Congress.
In the past decade there have been many studies linking increased video game use to obesity,
decreased motivation and socialskills, and aggressive behavior. Allof these studies are
incredibly troubling, and I fear that unless more is done to curb the increased dependency on
video games, these links will become stronger and more pronounced
Detrimental Physical Effects
According to a report issued by the American Medical Association released in 1983, there has
been a considerable amount of evidence gathered linking epileptic seizure with playing video
garires. In a population study based in the United Kingdom in i993, thi, phenomenbn i"u, ror.
prevalent in children between the ages of 7 and 19 than the rest of the population. Moreov.er, as
the time spent playing video games increases among our nation's youth, the obesity rate among
our children continues to grow. In fact the rate of childhood obesity has more than tripled in the
past 30 years,
D etrimental B e h av io ral Effe ct s
Recent studies have also found signs of addiction in children and other individuals who spend
increased time gaming, Earlier this year, a study from lowa.State University found that B.5yo of
American youths ages 8 to l8 who play video games show multiple signs of behavioral addiction.
As a result of this addiction, the study found that the children had trouble payingattention in class
and performed worse in school. Several studies have also linked the use of violent video games
by children to aggressive and violent behavior. There have been several incidents ofviolence
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involving children where the use of violent video games have been cited as at the very least as
having some influence.
Industry's Attempts
The video game industry has undertaken attempts to regulate their products, employing the
Electronics Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating system which works similar to the MPAA
rating system for motion pictures. However, while all games have a rating label on the cover of
the game, the game's content often does not reflect its rating, with games that possess child 
friendly ratings containing violent or otherwise inappropriate content.
I fear that the loopholes and inaccuracies that exist within the rating system will never be fully
addressed simply because the ratings system is overseen by the industry, which stands to make
profits by placing as many video games into the hands of children as possible. Our government
must do everything they can to hold the industry accountable to ensure parents are aware ofthe
detrimental effects that violent games can have on their children.
This year, I introduced H.R. 400, the Video Game Health Labeling Act of2010. This bill creates
a new rule within the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that mandates all video
games with an Electronics Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rating ofTeen (T) or higher be sold
with a simple warning label which reads: "WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video
games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior. "
As the FCC examines this initiative, I ask that you consider using the language from this bill and
applying the language as an administrative fix to this urgent problem. Only through
comprehensive policy can we successfully ensure that parents protect their children to the best of
their ability.
Sincerely,
JOE BACA, Congressman
43
rd
Congressional District