Sept. 22, 2011, Celebrating "Day of the Girl" Brands and broadcasters are always talking about “authentic engagement” and they’re about to get some. It all starts today, with New Moon Girls’ … [Read more...]
Storytelling Via Stickers: Girl-Caught Aims To Dial Down Disrespect
September 22, 2011 by 8 Comments
Dear Media: Please Change Your Channel of Influence
September 12, 2011 by 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...]
Girl Caught: New Moon Girls Slams Sexualization of Kids
July 7, 2011 by 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...]
Tips From the Trenches: Re-Imagining Youth Activism, SPARK Change!
October 18, 2010 by 6 Comments
October 18, 2010 Ancient Chinese proverb: “The best soldiers are not warlike.” Welcome to youth activism 21st century style. (pithy "model waiver" for American Apparel street theater protest at … [Read more...]
KFC’s “Assvertising”–A Double Down of Unhealthy Cues
September 22, 2010 by 3 Comments
September 22, 2010 Would you like a sideorder of sexualization with that heart attack? If the excess sodium from KFC’s Double Down innuendo-laden sat fat monstrosity doesn’t raise your risk factor … [Read more...]
Girls Are Not Candies. Tweens Are Not Teens. Thongs Are Not Undies.
May 4, 2010 by 22 Comments
May 4, 2010 A few years back I commented on the post Confessions of a Lingerie Lover by Fae Goodman on Alternet and copped to being “one and the same.” Fae uncorked a doozy of a conversation that … [Read more...]
Using Kid Lit To Read The Right Message About Bullying
April 18, 2010 by 12 Comments
April 18, 2010 Many of you know I clench when I hear the word ‘reporter’ (even though I’m one and the same, it’s different when you’re behind the keyboard) because media has powerful potential to … [Read more...]
Commodification of Kids: The Backlash Has Begun
April 16, 2010 by 17 Comments
April 16, 2010 About a year ago, TruthOut featured a poignant article called "Commodifying Kids, The Forgotten Crisis" by academic Henry A. Giroux, and though I read it with lots of head bobbing … [Read more...]
Is There a Possibility the FCC Hasn’t Seen The Irony Here?
December 6, 2009 by 6 Comments
Dec. 6, 2009 Samuel Johnson once said, “Our aspirations are our possibilities.” I love the limitless empowerment in the short phrase, so when I heard there was going to be a new online DIY craft show … [Read more...]
CyberBullying Tragedies and Internet Safety: eModeration Part3
December 3, 2009 by 13 Comments
Dec. 3, 2009 Just visited the excellent Connect Safely forum to pose the industry question, is there ANYthing that digital moderators or online advocates could’ve done in the child safety realm to … [Read more...]
CyberSafety Online: Tips From The Inside Out Via eModeration (Part 2)
November 27, 2009 by 15 Comments
Nov. 26, 2009 Who’s minding the kids online? What’s ‘moderation’ got to do with it? It doesn’t take a retro flashback to know that “Kids say the darndest things,” but who is there to help them … [Read more...]
FCC Chair Receives Our Coalition Letter on Product Placement
September 24, 2009 by 2 Comments
Sept. 24, 2009 Shaping Youth is part of this coalition (15pp pdf here) joining over 50 signatories on "FCC Docket 08-90." As a nonpartisan, non-censorship, nonprofit recall I support two key … [Read more...]
Back to School Supplies: Which Retailers Make the Green Grade?
September 6, 2009 by 5 Comments
Sept. 6, 2009 You’ve all seen that Staples ad with the prancing papa gleefully sending his offspring back to school, right? Well, now it’s time to see if Staples is one of the big box retailers … [Read more...]
Privo Privacy Vault: How Safe is Kids Digital Data? Part 2
July 14, 2009 by 4 Comments
July 14, 2009 Yesterday in my Part One preamble to the interview with Privo executives, I tried to give an overview of how 'kids online safety' is more than 'balancing safety and fun' it's politics, … [Read more...]
Digital Data Mining 101: Echometrix Takes Kids’ Pulse
July 8, 2009 by 10 Comments
July 8, 2009 Still focused on "child predator" panic on the internet? I'd focus more on white collar stalkers like Echometrix, ubiquitous in far greater numbers, if I were you. Imagine digital … [Read more...]
Parents for Ethical Marketing: The Role In Shaping Youth
October 24, 2008 by 2 Comments
The name alone is a winner. “Parents For Ethical Marketing.” It’s universal, inclusive, and makes my name generation synapses smile (metaphorically, grammarians; hold the … [Read more...]
