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Thursday, August 20, 2015

What is Feeding Your Kid's Mind?

Still in Mom007 mode until my child turns 18 AND moves out of my house, I of course follow the same entities online that she's likely to subscribe to once I let her join the social world. Yep, I will be governing what she's allowed to follow and banning those that post/tweet/whatever inappropriate content.
     The field of approved social posters is getting very narrow these days. I've noticed a trend in teen-oriented organizations to over sexualize their content, despite the fact that it's aimed at people who aren't legally old enough to give consent. This completely baffles me.
     Take Teen Vogue's recent tweet, for example:
    Follow the link and you'll find an article first informing us how the rap wasn't included or needed in the original video release, then celebrating the fact it had been added and directing us to watch the video that not only features the proclaimed "gorgeous" rapper but also includes "explicit lyrics."
     You're a magazine for teens. Teens are not legally of the age of consent, so why the heck are you encouraging them to view explicit material? Obviously, unless they grow a collective brain among their writers, Teen Vogue will be off my daughter's list until she's at least thirty. (Okay, or legally of age.) Seriously, are the key contributors Jared Fogle and his friends? (Sorry, I had to go there.)
     Being a teen is hard enough without being constantly barraged by adults who seem to think encouraging kids to engage in sexual activities is okay. Yeah, I know there are plenty of teens who are having sex out there. They're also getting pregnant and failing to raise their own kids. They're getting STDs and dying young. They're simply not mature enough to make a reasonable decision when it comes to sex, but it seems like the pressure for them to do so is coming in from every angle and we, their parents, are letting it happen.
     Parents, it's perfectly okay to limit what your kids see, especially during the critical hormone-driven teen years (13-18). It's also important to talk to your kids about the difference in healthy sexual behavior and what the media tries to sell them, because, let's face it, no matter how careful you are, they're going to see things they shouldn't. (Hulu, why ARE you advertising "Masters of Sex" during "Once Upon a Time," which is popular among 10-15 year-olds?)
     Ideally, we need to fight back. Don't just unsubscribe from those media outlets that subject your kid to adult themes, but let them know why you're no longer going to do business with them. If they hear enough of it, they will eventually respond. If we parents, as a group, stand up for our kids and end the revenue stream to those businesses who continually expose our kids to sexual or other inappropriate content, they will respond. Finally, write to your government representatives. This is happening because Federal Law has become incredibly lax in regards to content regulation over the past five or six years. Nudity, language, sexual content that were restricted in the early 2000's are now open game under the latest FCC regulations during peak kid-watching hours and among kid "friendly" outlets.
     At the very least, pay attention. ABC Family is not "family" programming. Teen magazines aren't necessarily teen-friendly. Screen the content before you let your kids view it. Ban anything that serves to brain-wash them into becoming the next willing victim of a predator or STD. BE A PARENT. So what if they think you're uncool? One day they'll understand. Maybe not until they have kids of their own to protect, but it will happen some day. And talk to them about those things they do see. Cover the hard topics, like gender issues and STDs. Remember, if you're not talking to them, someone else will, and you may not like what they have to say to your kid.

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