This should not come as a shocker, but U.S. kids have a fairly easy time buying adult-rated video games. A survey by the National Institute of Media and the Family found that 55 percent of retailers turned down sales of M-rated, or mature, video games to kids age 17 and under.

In 50 percent of buying transactions (not 50 percent of stores), a youth was able to purchase an M-rated video game with nobody at the cash register taking notice.

I'm surprised the percentage of sales of violent video games to minors isn't higher. The survey is based on calls to 1,360 children, who also revealed these findings:

•  72 percent of parents know little about the video game rating system, and many cannot identify what the specific ratings mean.

•  In 38 percent of families, video games—or the time spent playing video games—was the source of arguments between parents and kids.

With 86 percent of U.S. kids playing video games, as this survey says, parents need to pop their heads into the TV room that hosts the gaming console to see what kids of all ages are playing and what kind of content M delivers. Take a look at Grand Theft Auto and Scarface, at least, before acquiescing or not saying anything about what games are being played. Talk about it, and if you sign off on it, at least you'll do so in an informed way.

Don't expect the sales clerks—often teenage kids who play these games themselves—to be the arbiters of what's played and not played at home.

For information on how games are rated, check out Robin's post on the Entertainment Software Rating Board system.

LINK: US kids find it easy to buy adult-rated videogames: survey [AFP via Yahoo! News]

Related: Holiday Tip: Understanding Video Game Ratings