Shock! Horror! It looks like kids can get their hands on M-rated games (the US equivalent of BBFC 18-rated games over here) if a new survey’s findings are to be believed. So, tell us something we don’t know…

The recent survey of 60 American retail outlets, conducted by the National Institute on Media and Family , claims that minors were able to buy M-rated titles from 46% of the retailers they visited.

“Violent, pro-drug games reportedly sold to minors” screams the headline in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The report notes that the NIMF calls for retailers to “adhere to the rating system, institute formal training for employees, prominently display the rating system in stores and separate mature-themed video games from other games."

46%, obviously, is not a great figure. That said, it puts the games industry ahead of other entertainment fields. A Federal Trade Commission report back in April suggested that 71% of American retailers were selling R-rated^† DVDs to minors, while 76% of retailers were selling records with explicit content to them.

^{† Meaning under-17s or under-18s, depending on state, need an accompanying adult.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune.}