CCFC to the MPAA: Stop
Marketing PG-13 Films to Young Children
Led by CCFC, a coalition of
twenty-one advocacy groups is demanding that the Motion Picture
Association of America (MPAA) comply with the Federal Trade
Commission's recent recommendation for explicit restrictions on
the marketing of PG-13 films to young children. In a
letter sent last week to MPAA CEO Dan Glickman, CCFC urged
the MPAA to develop a policy that would restrict the advertising
of PG-13 films on children's television; prohibit restaurant toy
giveaways or other food promotions aimed at young children for
PG-13 movies; and insure that any toys released in conjunction
with a film carry an age recommendation consistent with the
film's rating.
This past summer, CCFC filed a
complaint with the Federal Trade Commission that
Transformers - rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of sci-fi
action violence, brief sexual humor, and language - was being
marketed extensively to preschool children through television
advertising, food promotions and licensed toys. Last week, the
FTC acted on CCFC's complaint by urging the MPAA to adopt
guidelines for the marketing of PG-13 movies.
"Transformers is just
one of a string of violent, PG-13 movies marketed to
preschoolers," said CCFC's director, Dr. Susan Linn. "For too
long, the film industry has undermined its own rating system by
bypassing parents to target young children directly with
marketing for films that the industry itself has determined
warrant parental caution."
Candidate Edwards Weighs
in on Marketing to Children
CCFC asked all of the Democratic
and Republican candidates for president about their thoughts on
several key issues related to the commercialization of childhood
and John Edwards was the first to respond. In a letter to CCFC,
Edwards outlined his concerns about alcohol marketing targeting
youth, childhood obesity, ratings, and other media and marketing
issues.
You can read the letter at
http://commercialfreechildhood.org/johnedwards.pdf.
We hope to hear from
more of the candidates soon and will let you know when we do.
Commercial-Free Vermont Schools?
Channel One. BusRadio. Corporate-sponsored teaching
materials. Advertising in hallways, cafeterias, gymnasiums and
even on textbook covers. These are just some of the ways that
companies market to children in school, as they seek to promote
their brands to a captive audience of students. In 2000, a
government report identified marketing to schools as a growth
industry. But in Vermont, that could change.
In the coming weeks, Representative Christopher Pearson of
Burlington is planning to introduce legislation that would
prohibit all advertising in Vermont schools. The bill is similar
to
legislation that was introduced in Massachusetts in 2007 and
a clear indication that the movement to protect students from
in-school commercial exploitation is growing. A group of
dedicated activists - including CCFC members and the Action
Coalition for Media Education's Vermont Chapter - are already
hard at work garnering support for this historic legislation. If
you live in Vermont and would like to help in this effort,
please email
ccfc@jbcc.harvard.edu.
CCFC's Consuming Kids Summit: The Sexualization of
Children and Other Commercial Calamities. Schedule Now Available
and New Presenters.
A schedule of workshops and presentations for CCFC's
Consuming Kids Summit in Boston on April 3-5 is now available at
http://commercialfreechildhood.org/events/2008schedule.htm. Recently
added presenters include Dr. Michael Rich and Brandy King of the
Center on Media and Child Health; Sara Grimes of Simon Fraser
University and blogger at the Gamine Expedition; Amy Jussel of
Shaping Youth; Joan Almon of the Alliance for Childhood; and
Mary Rothschild of Healthy Media Choices.
For more information and to register, visit CCFC's summit
homepage at
http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/events.htm.
Can't make the summit? Help bring our movement to communities
around the country by helping someone else attend. Donations to
CCFC's summit scholarship fund can be made at
https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/621/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=1704.
Tips for Watching the Super Bowl from DADs
With the big game - and the biggest advertising event of the
year - rapidly approaching, CCFC member organization Dads and
Daughters has some tips for watching the Super Bowl with your
daughter, including for "those moments (like during some
commercials) when you want to cover her eyes with your
hands."
Learn more at
http://www.dadsanddaughters.org/PDFs/SuperBowlTips.pdf.
