With all of the products that are available to help parents
control children’s media consumption, deciding what to use can
be confusing. Parents may not even be aware of tools that are
already available to them through their cable or satellite
services, TVs, Personal Video Recorders (PVRs), and other media
center electronics. Most parental control tools function to
block or filter contents or a combination of the two. The
following is a brief overview of the different types of parental
control devices available. Click on the heading links for more
detailed information about the products available for each type
of technology. As of January 1, 2000, the FCC has required all
television sets with picture screens 33 centimeters (13 inches)
or larger to be equipped with features to block the display of
television programming based upon its rating. This technology is
known as the "V-Chip." The V-Chip reads information encoded in
the rated program and blocks programs from the set based upon
the rating selected by the