The lack of a rating system meant that many parents remained ignorant of the problem. Their children continued to be exposed to inappropriate programmes, mostly unsupervised. It is interesting to note that the Broadcasting Control Board drew up a guideline on a rating system for TV programmes in 2003, but nothing came of it because the Thaksin government did not give it the go-ahead.

Under the proposed new system, each television network will, on a voluntary basis, analyse its own programmes, including dramas, game shows and celebrity chat shows, and rate them into seven categories based on their suitability for different groups of viewers: pre-school children, young children, early teens, late teens and general viewers.

Programmes will be labelled accordingly and accompanied by specific and helpful parental advice that will make it easier for parents to decide whether to allow their children to watch them. Parents will know at a glance whether they should offer some guidance or whether it is safe to let their children watch without supervision. There will also be programmes meant for a mature audience only, which are to be rated as unsuitable for children and young people.

This self-regulating initiative will enable television networks and producers to better target different audiences and conduct their business in a socially responsible manner. The rating system will be evaluated after one month of its introduction and input from TV viewers will be taken into consideration with a view to fine-tune and improve it. The system also makes it unnecessary for the state to impose censorship, which is a crude instrument that can impinge on artistic freedom or freedom of expression. At the same time, television networks and producers are free to make their own judgement to cater to what TV viewers they want, hopefully within the bounds of decency and good taste.

 Another benefit of the rating system is that it will bring attention to questions that need to be asked: How much sex, violence and profanity is too much? What can parents do to protect their children from the potentially harmful effects of some programmes? Can television networks be trusted to achieve the delicate balance between profitability, artistic freedom and social responsibility?

The correlation between exposure to on-screen violence and real-life violence in young people has been well documented in numerous studies. The same is true for the influence of TV on reckless sexual behaviour by young people and on their use of offensive language. Such concerns are real and deserve serious discussion among all those who genuinely care about the welfare of young people, including those who advocate the individual's right to make a choice about entertainment.

Even with the rating system in place, the Broadcasting Control Board, other relevant authorities and media watchdog agencies should continue to monitor the networks' performance and provide constructive feedback to ensure they become effective at regulating themselves.

But the rating initiative does not mean TV viewers will be given a choice of quality programming. Without any effort on the part of networks and producers to ensure quality programming, the typical TV viewer tends to veer toward cheap, sensational and even downright sordid entertainment. That's why the state authorities, in cooperation with civil society, should continue to advocate for the improvement of TV programming. One idea that is worth exploring is to provide grants to fund quality shows by new, talented producers to enable them to compete against the well-connected charlatans who currently monopolise the exorbitantly priced air time and have kept newcomers out.