You need to know about the TOADY award. That's for Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children. Not to be confused with the toy industry's TOTY (Toy Of The Year) award.The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has selected its finalists from … [Read more...]
More on Pink
April 27, 2010 by
Is it brainwashing?Sue Palmer thinks so.And, well, we didn't have aisles in the store that looked like this when I was a girl. I guess the marketers have learned something since then. I don't have girls, so I don't know, but I've heard that it's hard … [Read more...]
In the U.K., some positive action
April 23, 2010 by
Apparently the Brits are starting to get it. According to Marketing Week, the Conservative Party in the U.K. vows to crack down on insidious commercialization directed toward children. The party unveiled a general election manifesto April 13 that … [Read more...]
Encounters: Teaching Media Literacy
April 23, 2010 by
"In every society there has always been a story teller. The story teller is the one who imparts to the members the values and the accepted behaviors of the society."That's how Dianna Morton begins her media literacy classes."When our ancestors were … [Read more...]
Summit spurs local efforts
April 22, 2010 by
Mindy Holohan attended the previous CCFC Summit and went back to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to launch a local version of the organization, called Stop Targeting Our Kids. This week, the coalition hosted Enola Aird, founder and director of Mothers for a … [Read more...]
Why are we surprised by sexting?
April 21, 2010 by
There are some kids at our middle school who are in trouble for sexting. Apparently a girl sent a naked picture of herself to a boy, who may have then charged other boys for a look. The adults are all appalled, saying, "What is the matter with kids … [Read more...]
Less is More
April 20, 2010 by
Last summer, my younger son had the opportunity to go on a whale watch boat with a camp he was attending. The tour actually came upon a small pod of whales with a baby whale that were just off the side of the boat, really close. My son was thrilled. … [Read more...]
It takes a village to make a stupid product
April 19, 2010 by
Ok, they got it taken off the shelves, but who the heck conceived of, designed, and approved a padded bikini top for 7-year-old girls in the first place? There are a lot of people in that chain. Doesn't anyone have any sense? … [Read more...]
Foreboding movies
April 19, 2010 by
It was Friday: pizza and movie night. We were watching a slow-moving drama, Neverland. The movie had nothing in it that was particularly frightening or disturbing. But at one point, the four children in the movie were in a park together and my kids … [Read more...]
Girls are not always the victim
April 16, 2010 by
I was very interested to see this letter in the Boston Globe Magazine:More to the Story I read Marianne Jacobbi’s “A Mother’s Tally” column ( Coupling, March 7), and as a male pediatrician who sees mostly young men, I sense a different story. Jacobbi … [Read more...]
Marketing, Media and Childhood 