CCFC

TOADY Awards: Vote for Worst Toy and Inspire Change

December 4, 2014 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Dec. 4, 2014 Every year I twist into a cartoon grimace and let out an “AAUGH!” like Charlie Brown when I scan the CCFC contenders on the TOADY "worst toys" list. (TOADY=Toys Oppressive And Destructive … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding & Consumerism, Damaging Drek Tagged With: Barbie body image, Barbie Girl Scout doll, Barbie remixed, Barbie Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, branding kids toys, CCFC, commercialism, consumption junction, corporate ad creep, Discover the forest, encouraging STEM, Feminist Hacker Barbie, Girl Scout Barbie, girl scouts, GSA, I can be anything Barbie, in-school marketing, junk food branding, kids commercialism, Lego Friends, Let Toys Be Toys, Life size Barbie, Mattel, Mattel branding, McDonalds toys, Nestle Quik cookie drink, nonprofit commercialism, Shell Oil Lego, TOADY Awards, toxic toys

In-School Commercialism: A Back to School Checklist

September 19, 2014 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Sept. 14, 2017 An update on the unhealthy cues sent to kids with BoxTops for Education, via Harvard Chan School of Public Health podcast which nails the core problem quite succinctly. The program is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding & Consumerism Tagged With: #MomsNotLovinIt, ad-creep, advertising in schools, ambient ads in schools, back to school commercialism, branding in schools, brandwashing, Care Counts, CCFC, checklist for in-school commercialism, commercial curriculum, commercialism in schools, corporate accountability, corporate ad creep, corporate classrooms, corporatization of education, CSPI, datamining, Education brought to you by, food marketing, Gatorade, in-school marketing, junk food in schools, marketing to kids, NEPC, Out of bounds, pouring rights, PTSA fundraisers, public school payola, Ronald Mcdonald in schools, school bus ads, student data privacy, when schools become ads, Whirlpool

Look Up! Perfect Anthem for Screen Free Week

May 8, 2014 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

May 4-10, 2015 is Screen Free Week I'm being called for jury duty, so who knows where that lands...meanwhile, here's a links list below reprising resources to enjoy time out and about unplugged!Screen … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pro-Social & Positive Picks Tagged With: 101 screen free activities, Beyond screen time, CCFC, critical thinking and media, digerati, Digital Detox, digital learning, disconnect to reconnect, emotional wellness, family time, FOMO, Gary Turk, get outside, information overload, kids and screens, kids media influence, Look Up, Media Unplugged, media-literacy, Nature deficit disorcer, obesity prevention, personal branding, play outdoors, Project Wild Thing, reconnecting kids with nature, Screen Free Week, screentime, sedentary screens, sit time to fit time, social networking boredom, tech free schools, tech sabbaths, unplug, virtual stage

The Tooth Fairy Is Not A Brand. Parents…Arise!

July 22, 2013 by Amy Jussel 9 Comments

Aug. 6, 2013 Update! Honored to be accurately quoted in this pithy parenting prose by Heidi Stevens in The Chicago Tribune's thrilled to see all the parenting pushback on Twitter that CCFC put … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding & Consumerism Tagged With: ADA, Amy-Jussel, baby teeth, backdoor branding, brandwashing, CCFC, child exploitation, childhood rites of passage, children’s icons, Commercialization of Childhood, Consumerism, corporate accountability, corporate profiteering, dentists, direct marketing to kids, Disney Dia de los Muertos, Disney-Princesses, Equestria Girls, family narratives, Gender Portrayal, Hasbro, imagination, imaginative play, Mattel, media siege, media-literacy, My Little Pony rebranding, Official Real Tooth Fairy Dentist, parenting peeves, parents under siege, Pinkification, Pop culture impact on kids, princess culture, Save the Tooth Fairy, sexploitation, sexualization of children, Stop Corporate Abuse, storytelling, The Real Tooth Fairies, The Tooth Fairy, toy industry complicity, trademarking a holiday, trust breach, unethical marketing, Vapid Values

CCFC: A Positive Pick, Even When Calling Out Negative TOADY Toys

December 4, 2012 by Amy Jussel 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...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Counter-marketing, EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Nutrition & Wellness, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: age compression, apptivity ball, baby media, best toy of the year, Bratzillaz, building brain plasticity, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, CCFC, consumer watchdogs, corporate profiteering, digital devices, Digital Literacy, Digital Media Learning, digital world, early childhood education, Early-Sexualization, Facing the Screen Dilemma, FTC, Healthy kids in a digital world, impact of excessive screen time, Kids health, kids rights, kids socioemotional health, Lego Friends, media use, media-literacy, Monster High, National Parenting Publications Awards, Nielsen reports, nurturing healthy brain development, power of play, screen time, Susan Linn, TOADY Awards, Truce, value of unstructured play, winx, worst toy of the year

Toy Joy or Consumption Junction? Critical Thinking for Holiday Fun

November 15, 2012 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Dec. 7, 2016 Update Why not turn holiday gifting into a media literacy opportunity? Tomorrow I'll be signing up once again for Samaritan House sorting and stocking for kids less fortunate and I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Buy Me That, cause marketing, CCFC, change the channel of influence, critical thinking, deconstructing toy ads, eco-friendly toys, empowering gifts for girls, Engage Education, Gender neutral toys, Goldie Blox, Holiday 2012, kids gifts, meaningful gifts, Media Literacy Clearinghouse, Media management, media-literacy, NAMLE, New Moon Girls, pester power, Philosophy for Kids, positive kids toys, project girl, put your money where your mouth is, reach and teach, ScrapKins, social justice, Sophia the Great, SuperToolLula, support healthy media images for girls, teachable moments, Toward the Stars, toys 2012, Zilly

Fast Forward Health Film Fest Oct 30, Celebrate Food Day 2012

October 24, 2012 by Amy Jussel 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...]

Filed Under: Consumerism, Counter-marketing, EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: big food, Ca Right to Know, CCFC, CSPI, Fast Food Nation, Fast Forward Health, film fest, Food Day, Food Day 2012, food for thought, Food Inc., food marketing kids, Food Politics, GMO, health literacy, HFCS Food Supply, Kids health, kids-food-products, label lingo, label literacy, Meatrix, media-literacy, Michele Simon, Morgan Spurlock, public health policy, sustainable eating, The Real Bears

Mattel’s Manipulative Monster High Marketing Machine: Unkind.

June 15, 2012 by Amy Jussel

June 15, 2012 Last year when I wrote about Mattel’s vampy campy Monster High dolls I purposely didn’t even name their brand, hoping it would quietly fizzle and bury itself in the outcry of parents … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Damaging Drek, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Misogyny & Racism, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity, Vapid Values Tagged With: anti-bullying, Bailey Shoemaker Richards, big media, brandwashed, brandwashing, Bratitude, Brattitude, Bratz, bullying, business ethics, Buyology, CCFC, childrens rights, Clawdeen, corporate accountability, corporate responsibility, crap detection 101, critical thinking, damaging toys, Daughters, Does Monster High Teach kindness?, Dr Jennifer Shewmaker, Emily-Anne Rigal, girls-self-worth, Goodwashing, halo effect, Hasbro, in-school marketing, kids media influence, Kind Campaign, Mattel, mean ghoul, mean girls, media mindfulness, media-literacy, Miss Representation, Monster High Dolls, Monster High's New Low, neuroscience of shopping, objectification, parenting girls, Peggy Orenstein, PigtailPals, preteen-health, preteen-self-esteem, Pro-social product placement, product propaganda, Pussycat Dolls, Sexed Up Toys, Sexualization, sexualized childhood, So Sexy So Soon, SPARK, spark change, spot the spin, targeting tweens, toxic cues to kids, tweens, unhealthy products, WalMart, worst toys

Time for a Digital Cleanse! Join Us For Screen Free Week April 30-May 6

April 12, 2012 by Amy Jussel 6 Comments

April 12, 2012 Ommm...want to join me in turning off all glowing electronic devices to celebrate CCFC's Screen Free Week of insight April 30-May 6, 2012? It's a great chance to unplug...and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Counter-marketing, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Nutrition & Wellness, People Shaping Youth, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Amy-Jussel, balanced digital diet, CCFC, Children and Nature, children and screens, childrens media, Digital Detox, digital media, free play, Good Night iPad, Herve Tullet, Info Overload, kids and media, kids and screens, Lego Friends, Media Education, Media management, Media-Influence-Kids, media-literacy, Press Here, reach and teach, Rich Louv, Sabbath Manifesto, Screen Free Week, screen time, Susan Linn, The Nature Principle, too much media, tuning out, unplug, unplug and reboot, Unplug Your Kids, unplugged challenge, unstructured play

How Can We Use Media To Gift Without Buying?

December 11, 2011 by Amy Jussel 7 Comments

Update: Dec. 12, 2018 Open Call...for any and all ideas to give the gift of TIME to teachers, elders, family and friends and reduce consumption/increase heartfelt meaning in the process! Hit me up … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Consumerism, Counter-marketing, Emerging trends & STEM, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: anti-consumption, battling cancer, Buy Buy Baby, buy nothing, catalog shopping, CCFC, Coming of Age In a Crap Economy, commercial free, Consuming kids, consumption, critical thinking, don't buy it, eco literacy, family tradition, financial literacy, freebies, freecycling, gift of time, gift without buying, gifts, giving vs receiving, Good Night iPad, holiday debt, holiday rituals, kids gifts, Me to We, mindfulness, neuroscience of shopping, not buying it, regifting, shop til you drop, student debt, Think Geek, thought that counts, thrifty gifting, virtual gifting

Best Childrens’ TV You’ve Never Seen: Ameba TV

December 2, 2011 by Amy Jussel 6 Comments

Dec. 2, 2011 Heard of Ameba TV yet? For world-weary parents of kids aged 2-12 who'd like to allow media in moderation but are sick of monitoring cruddy channels of influence being served up by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Consumerism, Counter-marketing, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: AAP, alternative media, ameba TV, AmebaTV, bilingual, Cat in the hat knows a lot about that, CCFC, commercial free, critical thinking, diversity, DOOF, eco moms, encouraging science, green kids, Internet TV, kids quality TV, Kids TV, Know Better Effect, language learning, LG Smart TV, meaningful media, Media management, media messaging, media-literacy, multiplatform media, New Moon Girls, not all screens equal, parental controls, PBS Kids, Preschool programming, prosocial, Ruby Skye PI, screen time, set top box, Sid the Science Kid, STEM, Subscription model, TV alternatives, tweens

Kids Think A Blackberry Is A Device Not A Fruit? Eat Real.

October 24, 2011 by Amy Jussel 3 Comments

Oct 24, 2012 Food Day 2012! On Twitter, follow #FoodDayConf with great tips on label lingo, decoding kids aisle food claims. In honor of the day, I'm reprising "Food for Thought: Media to Digest for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Nutrition & Wellness, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Andre Blackman, Appetite for Profit, CCFC, childhood obesity, corporate social responsibility, CSPI, diabetes, digital ads.org, eat real, Fast Food Nation, Fast Forward Health, film festivals, food access, food and beverage, Food Day, food labeling, food marketing, food marketing kids, Food Rules, FoodDay.org, FTC, Healthy eating research, healthy foods, junk-food, media diet, Michael Pollan, Morgan Spurlock, Oct 24, Prevention Institute, School Nutrition Association, Sensible Food Policy, SuperSize Me, sustainable farms, Tom Harkin, voluntary food guidelines

Food Marketing to Kids: Occupy Wall Street Applies Here, Too

October 16, 2011 by Amy Jussel 6 Comments

Oct. 16, 2011 It's Blog Action Day today which coincides with United Nations' World Food Day, so my contribution among 80 countries participating is about food policy, profiteering and public health. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Damaging Drek, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Nutrition & Wellness, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Vapid Values Tagged With: #BAD11, advertising to kids, Blog action day, Blog Action Day 2011, CCFC, CDD, childhood obesity, corporate social responsibility, CSPI, diabetes, digital ads.org, eat real, Fast Food Nation, food and beverage, Food Day.org, food marketing, FTC, Healthy eating research, in-school marketing, Interagency Working Group, IWG, junk food in schools, Morgan Spurlock, Occupy Madison Avenue, Occupy Wall Street, Prevention Institute, School Nutrition Association, Sensible Food Policy, SunnyD sugar spree, SuperSize Me, unhealthy products, voluntary food guidelines, We're Not Buyin It, World Food Day

Deconstructing Spongebob, Pt2: A Preschool Parenting Lens

September 20, 2011 by Amy Jussel 1 Comment

Sept. 20, 2011 In part one, the prelude to this post, I tried to frame the notion of critical thinking skills as a sphere to hold up to the light and rotate slowly instead of banging out opinions in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: AAP, ad-creep, brains and TV, branding-youth, cartoon characters, cartoon-products, cartoons influence, CCFC, child development, childrens cognitive inability to understand, cognitive science, commercial brands, consumption, Critical-thinking-skills, David Kleeman, executive function, fast-paced TV, Karen Dahl, Kids TV, licensed cartoon characters, media watchdogs, media-literacy, merchandising, neuro cognition, Nickelodeon, pediatrics, pester power, Preschool brain science, Preschool marketing, Preschool programming, PTC, self-regulation, Spongebob Research, Spongebob Squarepants, University of Virginia, working memory

Deconstructing Spongebob: Reasoning, Research, & Critical Thinking

September 19, 2011 by Amy Jussel 6 Comments

Sept. 19, 2011 “So, Amy, whose side are you on with the pundits talking and the press reporting about the new University of Virginia Spongebob research?” Whaaaa? Sides? Really? That's cartoonish, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: AAP, ad-creep, AngrySlop, brains and TV, branding-youth, cartoon characters, Cartoon Monickers, cartoon-products, cartoons influence, CCFC, child development, childrens cognitive inability to understand, commercial brands, consumption, Critical-thinking-skills, David Kleeman, editorial cartoons, executive function, fast-paced TV, Kids TV, licensed cartoon characters, media watchdogs, media-literacy, merchandising, mugging of Spongebob, neuro cognition, Nickelodeon, pediatrics, pester power, Preschool marketing, Preschool programming, PTC, self-regulation, Spongebob Research, Spongebob Squarebutts, Spongebob Squarepants, University of Virginia, working memory

Dear Media: Please Change Your Channel of Influence

September 12, 2011 by Amy Jussel 27 Comments

Sept 12, 2011 After the ludicrous JCPenney toxic tee-shirt with a wink and nod to academic underachievement "I'm Too Pretty For Math, So My Brother Has To Do It For Me" and the fabulous rapid-reply … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Counter-marketing, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: acid on innocence, Actionists, Allergic to algebra, Amy-Jussel, anti-academic, APA sexualization study, Baiting Outrage, CCFC, change the channel, corporate responsibility, CSR, Empowering girls, ethics, focus on positive, Forever 21 tee, Gender Portrayal, girl caught, girlcott, Girls Day, I'm too pretty for math, JCPenney tee, media mindfulness, media-literacy, Nancy-Gruver, New Moon Girls, objectification, Packaging-Girlhood, parenting, PigTail Pals, positive media influence, positive tees, Redefine Girly, RESPECT, selling out kids, Sept 22, sexist messaging, Sexualization, So Sexy So Soon, SPARK, spark change, STEM, STEM programs for girls, tee party, TrueChild.org research, underachievement, underachievement girls

Shaping Youth Is Backing The Illusionists Film About Media’s Body Blitz

July 19, 2011 by Amy Jussel 7 Comments

Update Nov. 2, 2014 Talk about a greenlight! Excited to attend Elena's "PopUp Party" today screening her important 2015 documentary film (preview here). She'll be speaking at the 3PercentConference in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Counter-marketing, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Nutrition & Wellness, People Shaping Youth, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: 12 billboards, Adonis-Complex, Amy-Jussel, beauty myth, Beauty Redefined, Body Blitz, body dissatisfaction, Body-Dysmorphia, Body-Fixation, CCFC, commodification, Dove Evolution, Dr.-Robyn-Silverman, Early-Sexualization, Elena Rossini, Fat Hatred in Preschoolers, Fat talking tots, girls-self-worth, Good Girls Don't Get Fat, healthy media, indie films, IndieGoGo, IndieWire, influence of media, Jean Kilbourne, Kickstarter, Killing Us Softly, Lexie and Lindsay, massive media mindshift, Media Education, Media-Influence-Kids, media-literacy, objectification, Packaging-Boyhood, Packaging-Girlhood, poor body image, Positive Body Image, Project Raceway, Promoting Healthy Media Images, promoting positive body image, redefining beauty, rejecting media beauty ideals, self-funding, So Sexy So Soon, socioemotional health, Take Back Beauty, The Illusionists, The Illusionists Documentary, the perfect body, unattainable ideal, young filmmakers

Girl Caught: New Moon Girls Slams Sexualization of Kids

July 7, 2011 by Amy Jussel 14 Comments

July 7, 2011 Good news! New Moon Girls has created a prototype ‘virtual girl caught sticker’ you can slap on some of the repeat brand offenders commodifying kids to call ‘em out social media style…In … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Counter-marketing, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: 2011, acid on innocence, Actionists, Age-of-Conversation, Amy-Jussel, APA sexualization study, Beth Kanter social media, CCFC, corporate pedophilia, corporate responsibility, CSR, ethics, girl caught, girlcott, Girls Day, media-literacy, Nancy-Gruver, New Moon Girls, objectification, Packaging-Girlhood, parenting, PigTail Pals, Pornification, RESPECT, Scholastic4Sale, selling out kids, Sept 22, sexploitation, Sexualization, So Sexy So Soon, SPARK, spark change

CCFC Puts Energy Into Cleaning Up School Commercialism

May 16, 2011 by Amy Jussel 5 Comments

May 16, 2011 Continuing our ‘positive picks’ series on media and marketing that matters, a gigantic ‘Howard Beale’ style shout from the windows “w00t!” to champions of change at CCFC, Campaign for a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Amy-Jussel, Book Fairs, branding in schools, Brands in Schools, brandwashing, Bratz books, CCFC, Channel One, clean coal, coal, coal curriculum, commercial brands, commercial free, commercialism, commercialized school curriculum, Consuming kids, education, Energy, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace USA, junk science, Kids health, label literacy, media-literacy, Rethinking Schools, Scholastic, SunnyD, SunnyD sugar spree, Susan Linn, vested interests

Lessons From Youth On Screen Free Week: Perception Vs. Reality

April 20, 2011 by Amy Jussel 2 Comments

Apr. 20, 2011 Screen Free Week April 18-24 If I’m "Captain of this Ship," then there’s been a mutiny and I’m walking the plank. Some of the youth crew have called me out and dressed me down for what … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Consumerism, Counter-marketing, EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Amy-Jussel, Blow Up Your TV, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, CCFC, Digital Detox, digital-natives, family time, Get 'Em Outside, Going dark, healthy media consumption, human connection, information overload, Kids health, life balance, Media management, Media Unplugged, media-literacy, National Day of Unplugging, Nature deficit disorcer, Nature-Deficit-Disorder, NCLI, Screen Free Week, ScreenFree.org, spring break sanctuary, Susan Linn, technology, totally wired, TV Turnoff Week, Unplug Your Kids

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