The Federal Government's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has determined that violence must be viewed as an epidemic that threatens the public health of all Americans. The CDC plans to approach this epidemic in a fashion similar to the strategies used to treat other health problems such as smoking, AIDS, and small pox. Regarding screen violence and its effects on society, reviews of the evidence collected for more than 30 years in over 3,000 studies conclude that media violence significantly contributes to the aggressive behavior and attitudes of many children, adolescents, and adults. A common criticism of the voluntary rating system used by the Motion Picture Association of America is that sexual content and profanity are weighted more heavily than violence. Network Television Violence Standards aim to eliminate gratuitous or excessive depictions of violence. Regarding children's access to home videos, the Video Software Dealers Association has developed a "Pledge to Parents" which individual stores may voluntarily adopt. The pledge aims to prevent the sale and rental of NC-17 and R-rated videos to children under 17 years old without parental consent. Remaining sections of the paper document the extent of violent crime in the schools and the findings of a survey that shows the majority of Americans opposed to the extent to which violence is portrayed by the entertainment industry.