Today's paper -- The Risks of Shopping for Children - From Zuckerman

[Guest guest]

--- Zuckerman <dz@...> wrote:

> From: " Zuckerman " <dz@...>

> <ifriends@...>

> Subject: Today's paper -- The Risks of Shopping for

> Children

> Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 15:14:26 -0500

>

>

>

>

>

> Dear Friends,

>

> We thought parents and other adults shopping

> for kids might be glad to have some advice. This

> oped was published in today's San Mercury News

> as well as numerous other Knight Ridder newspapers.

>

> Of course, since most kids have TVs in their

> room, and since the products I am criticizing are

> very popular, I assume some of this advice will not

> be welcome.

>

> We have been partnering with some conservative

> groups about sexy Bratz dolls marketed to

> pre-schoolers, violent videos popular with pre-teen

> boys, and other topics. We're glad to have this

> opportunity to find common ground with groups that

> we disagree with on almost everything else. We are

> also talking to them about implants for teenage

> girls.

>

> I was quoted (and misquoted) in the NY Daily

> News about Bratz dolls earlier this week, also

> picked up by UPI, and that also resulted in a 6 min

> live segment on CNBC.

>

> We're compiling a list of " best and worst "

> toys and video games, and would welcome your

> suggestions!

>

> Happy Holidays!

>

> Best wishes,

>

>

> Zuckerman, Ph.D.

> President

> National Research Center for Women & Families

> 1701 K Street, NW, Suite 700

> Washington, DC 20006

> (202) 223-4000

> www.center4research.org

> Remember us when you donate to United Way or

> CFC -- we're # 9884

>

> San Mercury News, Sun, Nov. 27, 2005

>

>

> Shopping for children has become a risky

> proposition

>

> By Zuckerman

>

>

> Shopping for kids seems to be getting harder

> every year. I hear from parents across the country

> who are shocked every time they shop -- not just by

> the prices, but by the toys and other desirables on

> children's wish lists.

>

> Do we really want our 4-year-old princesses

> dressing dolls that look like streetwalkers? Do we

> want our adolescent sons spending hours playing

> video games that make a sport of killing policemen

> and prostitutes? What does it say about our country

> that some of the most popular products are so

> offensive? And, what can we do about it?

>

> At a Virginia mall, mothers have been

> protesting a 's Secret for a store window

> displaying mannequins in sexually explicit S & M

> poses. Parents don't want G-strings marketed to

> adolescent girls. The mall management responded by

> accusing the politely protesting moms of violating

> the mall code of conduct!

>

> Mall stores across the country are carrying

> many of the most offensive video games that money

> can buy. The all-time biggest seller, ``Grand Theft

> Auto'' -- now in its third version -- finally

> graduated to an ``adults only'' rating, which means

> the game ``should only be played by persons 18 years

> and older'' and ``may include prolonged scenes of

> intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and

> nudity.''

>

> Several major chain stores will not carry

> ``adults only'' games, fortunately. Unfortunately,

> they all carry video games labeled ``mature,'' often

> geared to pre-teens and young teens, even though

> they are ``suitable for persons ages 17 and older''

> and contain ``intense violence, blood and gore,

> sexual content, and/or strong language.'' Believe

> me, they look more like X.

>

> Perhaps you're now thanking your lucky stars

> that you can shop for dolls instead. But millions of

> Bratz dolls have been sold for preschool and

> elementary school girls, dressed like what used to

> be called ``tarts.'' Now it's called ``attitude.''

>

> For parents and grandparents who care about

> their children, a TV or computer in the room may

> seem a very reasonable choice. Unfortunately, kids

> with TVs in their room watch more TV, watch more TV

> that their parents would consider objectionable,

> read less and sleep less. And, kids who watch more

> TV tend to be more violent, are more likely to be

> overweight and tend to do less well in school. The

> advantage of having TV in a child's room? There

> isn't any, unless you want to see less of your child

> and not hear what they are watching.

>

> Computers in a child's bedroom are a mixed

> blessing. Computers are great for schoolwork, but

> when they are in the bedroom, children are more

> likely to view pornography or be ``educated'' in

> chat rooms in ways you never dreamed of. Research

> shows that one in five kids receive unwanted online

> sexual requests. So, if there is another room in

> your house for your child to use a computer, instead

> of the child's bedroom, that's a safer choice.

>

> What can we do? If we keep buying sexualized

> dolls and violent video games, companies will keep

> promoting more of the same. One solution is to talk

> to family members who buy gifts for our children,

> letting them know, for example, what a mature or

> adults-only rating means on a video game. We can

> also talk to the parents of our children's friends,

> to cooperatively establish standards that parents

> can agree on and avoid the ``all my friends have

> it'' line that is otherwise so effective. And, we

> can all check Web sites such as www.toysafety.org

> and www.mediafamily.org to avoid the worst

> offenders.

>

> Happy holidays? We will be happier if we make

> sure the things we buy our kids won't harm them.

>

>

>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

> DIANA ZUCKERMAN is president of the National

> Research Center for Women & Families, Contact her

> via e-mail at dz@... or the Web site

> www.center4research.org.

>

>

>

>

>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> © 2005 MercuryNews.com and wire service sources. All

> Rights Reserved.

> http://www.mercurynews.com

>

>