The digital landscape has no doubt changed the way that kids watch TV, and to reflect that, the Children’s Television Act from 1990 is being revisited by the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

At the hearing for Rethinking the Children’s Television Act for a Digital Media Age, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski stated that changes have risen from multi-channel video programming – broadcast TV represented 77% of total TV viewership in 1990, and today that number sits at 41% – along with the proliferation of the internet and the prevalence of video games in kids lives.

All these changes have made it more challenging to identify the consequences for children and families in the new media digital landscape, so the Congress and the FCC are conducting an inquiry into the matter of how to best protect children and empower parents.

The results of the FCC examination are due at the end of August.