What Is The V-Chip And How Does It Work?
The V-chip is a technology that lets parents block television programming they don’t want their children to watch. Most television shows now include a rating, as established by the Broadcasting industry. (The rating appears in the corner of your television screen during the first 15 seconds of a program and in TV programming guides.) This rating is encoded into the programs, and the V-chip technology reads the encoded information and blocks shows accordingly. Using the remote control, parents can program the V-chip to block certain shows based on their ratings. If you lose your remote or need help programming the V-chip, contact the manufacturer of your television for a replacement or operating instructions. As of January 1, 2000, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required all new television sets 13 inches or larger to contain the V-chip technology. You can usually tell whether your television has a V-chip by looking at the packaging. If you no longer have the packaging, the
