June 4, 2019 As “wear orange” events pop up around the nation this weekend to protest gun violence, and students march in solidarity demanding action from impotent lawmakers tethered to gun lobbyists, … [Read more...]
50 Shades of Disempowerment: Teach Your Children Well
February 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Feb. 12, 2015 “What people do in private is their own business.” But what happens when Hollywood makes a movie glorifying, promoting and normalizing violence against women and coerced sex? It … [Read more...]
Her Next Chapter: Media Literacy Puts Mothers-Daughters On Same Page
May 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
April 17, 2015 Update In honor of National Library Week as I put the finishing touches on my presentation tomorrow about gender stereotypes and navigating unhealthy cues to kids, I'm sending a loud … [Read more...]
Talking to Kids About Headline News; The Positive Social Media Lens
April 15, 2013 by 2 Comments
Talking with Kids About Ukraine: Resource Roundup March 10, 2022 Update-Russia's Invasion of Ukraine As parents and educators grapple with urgent headlines, grisly visuals and untenable war crimes … [Read more...]
Youth Aids Day: First Gen Who’ve Never Known a World Without HIV
April 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Nov. 25, 2015 Update World Aids Day is coming up Dec. 1st, and Durex is promoting the creation of a "condom emoji" to be used via social media to shorthand safety messages for public health. April … [Read more...]
ACEs Wild: Flip the Brain Script on Adverse Childhood Experiences
March 19, 2013 by 1 Comment
1-8-18 Update: Important new data on public health problems emerging with kids in this damaging era of immigration anxiety. I see this every week when I tutor at Americorps/Reading Partners and … [Read more...]
Circle of 6 Campus Safety App: What It is And What it Isn’t
February 27, 2013 by 1 Comment
Update: March 7, 2013 It's official! The President Signed VAWA! Feb. 28, 2013 Finally! The Violence Against Women Act has passed both the House and the Senate and is moving on for final signing by … [Read more...]
Victim Blaming, “Asking For It” and Baiting Outrage-On the Radio
February 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Sept. 2, 2016 Update Today's early release of Stanford student/campus rapist Brock Turner (3 months off an already lenient 6 month sentence) prompted this pithy video indictment by Elizabeth Plank on … [Read more...]
Ground Hog Day: Super Bowl Sexism Keeps Popping Up
February 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Feb 2, 2013 It's Ground Hog Day and as reliable as Punxsutawney Phil, parents and pundits await to see what shadows will be cast on kids from the Super Bowl media hype blaring at surround sound … [Read more...]
Digital Detox, Blog Hiatus, and Fresh New Focus for 2013
January 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Jan. 2013-Shaping Youth has taken a first ever, full month long blog hiatus until Feb. 1, 2013. You can follow our posts on Twitter in the interim while we unplug the blog to repower the system … [Read more...]
Media Messages and Binge Drinking Influence On Teens
December 31, 2012 by 1 Comment
Dec. 31, 2012 Prequel to New Year's Eve... Long gone are the days when I could host a “New Year's at Noon Bubble Wrap Stomp” and watch little kids gleefully squirt silly string at each other in … [Read more...]
When We Were Free To Be: Revisiting A Classic w/Deesha Philyaw
December 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Dec. 18, 2012 This year marks not only the 40th Anniversary of Title IX changing women’s sports forever, it’s also the 40th Anniversary of the cycle-breaking, movement-making pop culture childrens' … [Read more...]
Sandy Hook Shooting Silence: Floundering in Social Media Darkness
December 17, 2012 by 3 Comments
Update June 10, 2014 (6-10-14 update: This graphic is a map of the 74 school shootings since Sandy Hook, compiled by Mark Gongloff of Everytown.org, Original Sandy Hook article at the end)Just since … [Read more...]
CCFC: A Positive Pick, Even When Calling Out Negative TOADY Toys
December 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Dec. 4, 2012 No question I continue to land hard on watchdogs that aren’t woofin’ when it comes to media and marketing’s impact on kids, but nobody does it better than Campaign for a Commercial Free … [Read more...]
Toward The Stars: New Online Marketplace of Goods for Girls to Soar
November 19, 2012 by 5 Comments
Nov. 20, 2012 “To the moon!” was once an iconic working class phrase that 50s TV star Jackie Gleason made famous in mock-threat to his sitcom wife Alice in The Honeymooners. He'd shake his fist, “why, … [Read more...]
Blizzard’s Snow Job: Security About As Tight As Parental Controls
November 14, 2012 by 2 Comments
Nov. 14, 2012 Call it karma, payback, or just ‘got caught,’ the class action lawsuit against Blizzard Entertainment (makers of mega-hits like Diablo, World of Warcraft, Starcraft etc) is really about … [Read more...]
War Games Blitz the Homefront: Halo 4, Call of Duty Livestream
November 12, 2012 by 2 Comments
Nov. 12, 2012 There’s irony noting many who’ve never served in the armed forces are in a firestorm of shoot ‘em ups with newly hyped titles lobbed into the media mix like grenades bombarding the … [Read more...]
Fast Forward Health Film Fest Oct 30, Celebrate Food Day 2012
October 24, 2012 by 1 Comment
Oct 24, 2012 Food Day 2012! “I don’t need any finger-wagging salad munchers scolding me about junk food” ---no worries, not happening. But if you'd like to be more informed about the reason for … [Read more...]
Life 360: Family Locator Apps-Mapping the Shades of Grey (Part 1)
October 15, 2012 by 5 Comments
Oct. 15, 2012 Teens call them ‘trackers,’ parents call them ‘tools,’ and the telecom industry refers to GPS and LBS (location based services) as sheer “growth” in a mobile market that’s booming with … [Read more...]
Wanted: Female Creative Directors To Change the Media Landscape
September 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Update Oct. 30, 2014 This coming week Nov. 3 & 4, 2014 Kat Gordon's highly successful 3PercentConference circles back to its origins in San Francisco after gaining momentum across the country, … [Read more...]
