Attorneys General to Anheuser-Busch: keep kids away from Bud.tv

Bud.tv, Anheuser-Busch(NYSE:BUD)'s cutting-edge marketing site, offers viewers specially produced television (does that term seemed dated, or what?) shows such as What Girls Want and Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show via the internet.

This worries our nation's Attorneys General, enough so that twenty-three of them wrote to the company last week asking them to strengthen the screening tools meant to keep kids off the site. Apparently, they are concerned that our impressionable youth may develop a taste for the suds through watching the show content, which will eventually include sports events, musical acts and downloadable video.

I went on Bud.tv and signed up in order to better understand their argument. Frankly, I was surprised at the degree of screening already in place. I had to give my real name and zip code, and the site apparently compared this to my state's BMV list to verify I was of legal age before allowing me access. I've never encountered such a vigorous screening procedure before, even when visiting, eh, 'gentlemen's' sites (for research only, of course).

This is not enough for the A's-G, though. They suggest steps such as sending a confirming postcard to the home of each member candidate, or placing individual phone calls to vet those who want to watch beer-related entertainment.

I suppose, with the present process a child could game the system by signing on as their parent. But is that a danger worth the expense of these additional steps? Would the world be a dramatically better place if these kids were denied access to Bud.tv and were forced instead to watch, say, the Super Bowl?