The V-Chip, short for Violence Chip, is a device that can be used to filter what television programs are accessible in your home. This device was developed in Canada, but it is used mainly in the United States by parents who want to be able to control what their children are viewing on TV. With more and more children having TV's in their rooms as well as being home alone while both parents work, there are concerns over what a child has access to. Since you don't want to remove the entire cable set up from your home, the V-Chip is a great alternative.

All television sets that have been manufactured since 1998 have the V-Chip ability programmed into them as established by the Federal Trade Commission (FCC). The goal is to promote safety for our children by educating parents about their options.

The V-Chip is very simple for parents to use. It can be programmed even if you have other gadgets attached to your TV including a VCR and DVD player. Parents are able to choose a program level they feel is appropriate for their child to view. Different TV sets in your home can be set at different levels. You can set your first graders TV to only G ratings while you can get your teenage daughters TV to everything up to PG-13. If you child attempts to access a program that isn't in their rating, they will get a message on the TV screen that the program can't be accessed.

When you program the V-Chip, you will have to select a password code. This is the only way the rating system can be changed or turned off. It is important that you remember the access code, yet your children don't have access to it. Don't make the access code anything your older child might be able to guess easily.

For parents who are concerned about the viewing opportunities on the TV that they feel are inappropriate for their children, the V-Chip is a great way to ensure no one is seeing programs their parents aren't comfortable with. As cable channels often run programs with inappropriate programming for children, this is a wonderful way for parents to be comfortable with their child having a TV set in the privacy of their bedroom.

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