The Aqua Dots recall of 4.2 million top-selling toys in the U.S. is the umpteenth case of slipshod quality control and lax product safety this year…Which begs the question, is ANYone with brain cells putting public health ahead of profit? This is not an isolated CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) “oopsie doodle” along the lines of the Aqua Teen Err(or) guerilla … [Read more...]
"Dear FTC, please put my child on the digital do not call list." (I wish, eh?) It's not quite that simple, but you CAN send in your comments before 11-16 here on any of the topics covered at the two-day FTC Town Hall meeting on “Ehavioral Advertising” that just wrapped up. (webcast here and FTC speakers at a glance/agenda here) As marketers ramp up the … [Read more...]
Having just received a “flaming bag of poo” interactive e-card for Halloween to ‘virtually stomp,’ a video clip of the world's largest "Haute dog HOWLo'ween parade and pumpkin splat, and a plethora of costumed dachschund avatars and buddy icons as "Hallowieners," I'd say digital media is having a field day of fun in the ol' pumpkin patch. Zip through … [Read more...]
Awhile back we wrote about Shaping Youth Correspondent and children's media consultant Ashley, who specializes in kids' TV with an experienced eye toward all things green... Ashley wrote a great post deconstructing the potential 'greenwashing' of Dora's adventures with an octopus trashing the sea, and though I love splashing kids with an eco-message early on, I too fear it … [Read more...]
Update Oct. 25, 2015 Hard to believe I wrote this 8 years ago trying to give "parenting tips to combat the sexualization cues to kids in our culture"' considering society has now dialed down the demographic of sexualization from middleschoolers to wee ones in K-5, in spite of fresh studies on the damage of internalized sexualization and public health harm. Sheesh. The good … [Read more...]
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