Psychologist creates rating system for TV cartoons(2)

A scene from the latest movie version of Boonie Bears.

Other than violence, scenes about sexual behavior can confuse or mislead children.

"All this is because content providers in China lack the basic knowledge of child development, and also a sense of responsibility. They never think for the children and only work for the market," Lu says. "There has to be someone who can point out the seriousness here."

Lu will soon publish a complete handbook on her rating system to offer parents TV-watching guidelines for their children, including suggesting themes for different ages and references to watchable foreign cartoons.

"Many parents don't yet have such awareness because they grow up watching inappropriate content themselves," she says. "Though we can't make it an official thing, the industry will turn to the good if all parents start to firmly resist what's bad for their children."

In 2013, after the 9-year-old boy accidentally set his friends on fire, some 20 cartoon channels and production houses, including the producers of Weslie and Boonie Bears, jointly made an open initiative saying they would no longer broadcast or produce works that contain "dangerous scenes" and "uncivilized language".

Domestic cartoon producers have focused on audience ratings for a long time, while ignoring issues like content safety and social impact, Song Lei, a researcher with China Communication Research Center, told the Southern Metropolis Daily. The center is an affiliate of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

He also said that as a result, homegrown producers found it difficult to distribute Chinese cartoon overseas.

This year, the latest movie version of Boonie Bears invited 100 teachers from kindergarten, primary and middle schools to rate the movie two weeks ahead of its theater premiere on Jan 30. The previous installment of Boonie Bears movie series also settled for a "safe release" until after more than 90 percent of the previewers deemed the 3-D cartoon movie as "suitable for all ages".

According to Song, the state administration also issued an internal notice in June 2013, asking all regional bureaus to be more strict with the examination of cartoons prior to being aired.

Chinese audiences and scholars have long demanded a general TV rating system. Du Zezhuang, founder and analyst with TV consultancy Ze Media, says that children's content especially should have viewing standards.

But he cautions: "It's easy to draw up a policy, but it always poses a problem when it isn't implemented or supervised properly."