The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media's Effect on Our Children

Kids must have special rules. It is more than naive to pretend that the market alone will protect them. We recognize this in virtually every sphere of life. Yet in the media, we have stripped away the very rules created to protect them, leaving them almost entirely to the profit-driven manipulations of the free market. THE OTHER PARENT THE INSIDE STORY OF THE MEDIA'S EFFECT ON OUR CHILDREN James P. Steyer's explosive investigation into how the media affects our children is a groundbreaking book that will shock most parents. Through songs on the radio, Internet access, television, and movies, our kids are learning how to live in an adult world long before they are ready. They are besieged on a daily basis by images of sex, commercialism, and violence via such mainstream programming as Dawson's Creek, films such as American Pie and The Matrix, and computer games such as Doom and Quake. This is the new media reality, Steyer states, and it is one most parents are not prepared for. Steyer examines how we have allowed media to bombard our children's lives and he offers practical advice on countering the incessant parade of images that frighten, intrigue, and influence America's kids: Putting your kids on a media diet Finding alternative activities for them besides television and the Internet Discovering what they think about the commercials, programs, and music they encounter on a daily basis Organizing advocacy groups, contacting government leaders, and boycotting media outlets that target children with inappropriate content. The Other Parent is a powerful and provocative book about the media's incredible impact on our families and our society.