FLASHBACK: Clinton Compares Violent Video Games to Lead Poisoning

by Josh Guckert

In a recently rediscovered video clip, then-Senator Hillary Clinton describes the perils of “violent and pornographic” video games and their effects on children. In front of a podium reading “Helping Parents Protect Kids,” she details games like Grand Theft Auto, which portray copious amounts of sex and violence. Clinton states that these games are being “peddled to our children” and must be closely monitored for that reason.

She accordingly indicates her support of the “Family Entertainment Protection Act,” which she co-sponsored with Senators Evan Bayh and Joe Lieberman. The bill never came to a vote in the Senate, as it died in committee.

According to Forbes:

There were five major proposals to the bill, including:

• A prohibition on selling games to minors, where retailers could be heavily fined for selling M or AO games to those under 17

• An independent analysis of the ESRB’s ratings system to figure out if it was actually accurate

• Authority for the FTC to investigate misleading game ratings

• Authority for consumers to register complaints with the FTC for misleading game ratings

• An audit of retailers including possible “secret shoppers” to see if underage kids can buy M or AO games from stores

Additionally, according to GameSpot, “Store managers would be fined up to $1,000 or 100 hours of community service for a first offense, and $5,000 or 500 hours of community service for each subsequent offense.”

In the clip, Clinton states that video games should be regulated like alcohol, tobacco, and pornography. She even goes on to compare such games to lead poisoning, stating, “Violent video games increase aggressive behavior as much as lead exposure decreases children’s IQ scores. . . .Everybody knows lead poisoning is bad for children. . . .Exposure to violent video games is also bad for children.”

Watch below: