Family-friendliness
Encyclopedia
Entertainment or information is called "family friendly" if it is considered suitable for all members of the average family. In particular it means that it is not considered inappropriate for children, which may imply restrictions on engagement in, or depiction of, nudity
, sex
, violence
, horror, crude language, etc. While the precise definition of "family friendly" can vary depending upon the person using the term, some examples of companies that are commonly considered "family friendly" are The Walt Disney Company
, Nickelodeon
, and Pixar
.
or information, or of the media carrying them being so, is sometimes considered an aspect of the family values
controversy in American political and social discourse. The moral connotations the concept and terms are used with varies greatly with speaker, and a single speaker may often use them differently privately and publicly.
In arriving at specific consumer decisions, moral connotations of the terms may be secondary or absent, and the denotation may be mainly distinctions relevant to making a product suitable for use within a family. Such characteristics of a product are likely to mean that the product is easy to use and retains the existing 'power structure' of a family, or more specifically that the parent retains overall control of the product or system. Other characteristics that are synonymous with the term 'family friendly' might include a product being safe, simple, easy to use and robust.
In public discussions it is most common for those using the terms and concept to give them positive connotation, suggesting at least that what the speaker labels "family friendly" is desirable, and often suggesting that what the speaker so labels is either in less adequate supply than what is not, more desirable than what is not, or desirable to the exclusion of desirability or toleration of what is not.
Also in public discussions, some with opposing views contest those connotations. Some of them may simply avoid the terms on the belief they misname the concept, so that the terminology raises questions of free expression, access to information, and distinguishing personal judgements on values from condemnations of others' values. Some in effect give unqualified use of "family friendly" a negative connotation by describing their own views as "real family friendliness", contrasting their own views with "family unfriendly" ones (in ways that imply those are held by advocates of something "family friendly"), or simply ironic intonation in using the words "family friendly". What is excluded by the term "family friendly" is not a matter of agreement among those who emphasize its use, so some describe the lack of clear denotation of the terms as helping a user appear consistent in their own statements and those of others, while intending different audiences or individuals in the same audience to infer mutually inconsistent implicit meanings from them.
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
, sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, horror, crude language, etc. While the precise definition of "family friendly" can vary depending upon the person using the term, some examples of companies that are commonly considered "family friendly" are The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon is a US cable TV channel.Nickelodeon may also refer to:-In television:*Spinoffs of the Nickelodeon channel:** Nickelodeon Magazine, a children's magazine.** Nickelodeon Universe, an amusement park....
, and Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
.
Usage
The concept of "family friendly" entertainmentEntertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
or information, or of the media carrying them being so, is sometimes considered an aspect of the family values
Family values
Family values are political and social beliefs that hold the nuclear family to be the essential ethical and moral unit of society. Familialism is the ideology that promotes the family and its values as an institution....
controversy in American political and social discourse. The moral connotations the concept and terms are used with varies greatly with speaker, and a single speaker may often use them differently privately and publicly.
In arriving at specific consumer decisions, moral connotations of the terms may be secondary or absent, and the denotation may be mainly distinctions relevant to making a product suitable for use within a family. Such characteristics of a product are likely to mean that the product is easy to use and retains the existing 'power structure' of a family, or more specifically that the parent retains overall control of the product or system. Other characteristics that are synonymous with the term 'family friendly' might include a product being safe, simple, easy to use and robust.
In public discussions it is most common for those using the terms and concept to give them positive connotation, suggesting at least that what the speaker labels "family friendly" is desirable, and often suggesting that what the speaker so labels is either in less adequate supply than what is not, more desirable than what is not, or desirable to the exclusion of desirability or toleration of what is not.
Also in public discussions, some with opposing views contest those connotations. Some of them may simply avoid the terms on the belief they misname the concept, so that the terminology raises questions of free expression, access to information, and distinguishing personal judgements on values from condemnations of others' values. Some in effect give unqualified use of "family friendly" a negative connotation by describing their own views as "real family friendliness", contrasting their own views with "family unfriendly" ones (in ways that imply those are held by advocates of something "family friendly"), or simply ironic intonation in using the words "family friendly". What is excluded by the term "family friendly" is not a matter of agreement among those who emphasize its use, so some describe the lack of clear denotation of the terms as helping a user appear consistent in their own statements and those of others, while intending different audiences or individuals in the same audience to infer mutually inconsistent implicit meanings from them.