Should the Television/Movie Industry Be Allowed to Promote Children Crimes for the Sake of Entertainment?

The other day ago I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds and it got me to thinking about how the television/movie industry can get away with child abuse/violence and call it entertainment.

The reason I mention Criminal Minds is because this particular episode had a serial killer that shot a father in front of his daughter who was around 14 years old and than kidnapped the daughter with the show ending at that until September.

Now I can recall sitting there and asking myself 'why do I watch these shows?' and than I begin to ask myself why the government allows it to take place.

Entertainment? Do we, as a society really find this entertaining? Does watching a show that involves a child being molested, murdered, kidnapped really entertain us. Are we no better than the people that do this on a day to day? I would like to say that I am better than criminals out there but that would be a lie.

The reason that is a lie is because I watch shows like Criminal Minds and CSI or movies like The Changling or American Crime. Granted this is television and movies but what I do not understand is how they can do it?

If it was real life a person that makes a post on the internet that involved child abuse, neglect, pornography, kidnapping, or even molestation would be arrested - even if it is make believe. Yahoo's policy even states and I quote "harm minors in any way;" and that is just one of many that refer to illegal content involving minors.

With that in mind why is it the movie and television industries can get a way with making shows that 'harm minors in any way'? Take the movie Parenthood starring Steve Martin. In the movie Parenthood, Steve Martins son in the movie, Justin, liked to sleep with nothing on but a gun belt and cowboy hat. Now in this movie it shows this kid in a frontal. Is this truly right? If a parent took a picture of their child like that they would be in jail by now.

So again, why is it the movie industry can get away with crimes that involve children for the full purpose of 'entertaining'? A better question should be:

Should the Television/Movie industry be allowed to promote child crimes for the sake of entertainment?

I say no they should not be allowed to. By promoting it they are saying it is okay, that it is entertaining, when it should not be okay. Perhaps if they, the entertainment industry, took steps to not create shows based on child violence the crimes against children will slow down. Than again by creating such shows it is giving us, the viewers, a better understanding of what the world is truly like.