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Community Corner

Is Redbox Choosing Convenience Over Vigilance?

Parents raise concerns over kiosks' recent addition of mature video games.

Have you ever lied about your age? As a teen did you ever try to look older, or successfully use a fake ID? What if looks didn’t matter? What if all it took was the push of a button to get adult access?

Although it doesn't involve alcohol or getting into a local nightclub, parents are upset about a recent Redbox decision to include mature games and “R”-rated movies at more than 27,000 kiosks nationwide.

Redbox is a fully automated kiosk that rents DVDs, Blu-ray discs and video games. The company's marketing campaign highlights the convenience of their products.

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What concerns parents, however, is there is not a person standing at the machines to verify the renter's age. A person simply has to select that they are over 18 and instantly mature titles such as Call of Duty and Bloodrayne the Third Reich are in their hands. 

Alicia Samnani, a 16-year-old girl from Minneapolis, was at the Golden Valley McDonald’s Redbox location on Tuesday and said, “It’s the parents’ responsibility. Kids are gonna see things because older people have it. Redbox doesn’t change that.”

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Samnani also said the fact that you have to have a credit card to rent from the kiosks might make it less of a concern to parents. But some parents give their children an emergency credit card or they might have access to credit gift cards like Visa buxx, she said, and they probably could figure out how to access adult material. 

Golden Valley resident, parent and long-time Hopkins West Junior High school librarian Robin Price said, “One of the most rewarding aspects of being a school library media specialist is engaging students in conversations about books, helping students select material that is age and content appropriate, but without strict censorship. Redbox’s offering of mature-themed materials offers real-life choices. I believe that it is the responsibility of caring parents to explore with their children in a meaningful way the impact of mature or violent images.”

Since the first Redbox rental kiosk appeared in a McDonald’s in 2002, customers have used them for more than 1 billion rentals. The kiosks' growing popularity, along with Netflix and online movie options mean the corner video rental store is quickly going out of style. Hollywood Video filed for bankruptcy in February 2010 followed by Blockbuster Video in September.

The increase in access puts the burden on parents to monitor their children's choices.

Regina Johnson who teaches middle-school students in the Hopkins School District said, “I wish kiosks could police for age. Those video games are extremely inappropriate for children and teenagers, but parents have to make their values clear to their children. There is no way for the outside world to police those choices for them.”

 

Golden Valley Redbox locations

Byerly's
5725 Duluth St.

McDonald's
720 Winnetka Ave. N.

McDonald's
9315 Medicine Lake Road
Golden Valley, MN 55427-3112


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