Glee Teen Sex: Facts & Opportunities Using CDC vs. Hollywood TV

Nov. 20, 2011 Truth is, Hollywood is lying about teen sex. Big time. New CDC research points to numbers that might as well frame Hollywood shows as a public health statistical version of ‘The Lying Game’ since TV consistently paints youth onto a recklessly bleak canvas of stereotyped imagery as impulsively hormonal lusty idiots …when the exact converse is true. Of those … [Read more...]

Rudolph: A Parable On Bullying, Peer Pressure & Soaring High

Dec. 17, 2010 Media madness has hit some new toxic tipping points lately, from sexualized cues for tweens to slink around like a ho-ho-ho (great awareness-raising via this new PTC study) to teen pot use rising after years of decline, and of course the influence of Miley's latest messes surging sales of ‘salvia’ ... Sooooo today I’m (re)running Lessons From Rudolph about … [Read more...]

Author Rosalind Wiseman Brings Youth Editors Into YA KidLit Process

Feb. 8, 2010 I bought a copy of the new YA novel by renowned author Rosalind Wiseman of Queen Bees & Wannabes bestseller fame, called “Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials” ...As soon as it hit my home front, my daughter and her ‘BFF’ clamored to snag it from me, lured in by the cover visual alone. Mean Girls writer and co-star Tina Fey had a snarky testimonial on … [Read more...]

Josh in a Box: Helpful Advice For Parents of Teens!

Oct. 21, 2009 What if I told you a few of my favorite advice slingers and youth analysis pros aren’t even parents at all? There’s Anastasia Goodstein of Ypulse speaking from the GenX pulpit (ok, her days are numbered; she’s about to go on maternity leave) and Courtney Macavinta of RespectRx...Along with wünderkind GenY entrepreneur and media machine Vanessa Van Petten, … [Read more...]

Get Out of Your Own Life! Environmental Influence on Kids

Mar. 30, 2009 Mea culpa for the unannounced vanishing act, but I’ve been out of town interviewing teens in a different ‘pocket’ of the greater Bay Area, exploring how environmental influences (peers, nature, geography) shift the volume and decibel level of media intake among kids and where we might learn some 'best practices' to leapfrog into a healthier place for the … [Read more...]