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From the Editors of Common Sense Media
August 16, 2007
Friday, the jump-for-joy picture of high school life continues with Disney's eagerly awaited premiere of High School Musical 2. But another popular series, The N's Degrassi: The Next Generation, offers a different perspective.
Far grittier than the candy-colored world of High School Musical, Degrassi examines issues that are much closer to the situations that most real teens face these days. Drug use, sex, social problems, and more are all portrayed realistically -- not in the over-the-top, sensational way that shows like The O.C. and the forthcoming TV series of the Gossip Girl books would treat them. On Degrassi, actions have consequences and alternatives to iffy behavior are debated and shown. Obviously, it's edgy -- it does depict teen sex and substance abuse -- but it tries to be responsible in presenting the dilemmas that really face high school students. If you're intrigued but cautious, preview some episodes or watch with your kids.
Families who do watch will find plenty to talk about. What sets Degrassi apart from other teen shows. Does the fact that the teens look like regular teens make it more realistic? How does Degrassi life compare to life in other teen-oriented TV shows and movies? Finally, because Degrassi shows the consequences of drinking, sex, and social dynamics, it offers a safe way to get into difficult discussions about teens' daily lives and the pressures they face.
Yes, we love the High School Musical world, but we also know that our kids probably aren't going to go to school and dance on the tables. For the times when depression or drug use leaves real-life kids without a song in their hearts, Degrassi can offer a way to sort through thorny problems in a realistic but responsible way.
For more tips on parenting and the media, visit http://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent_tips/ . |
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From the Editors of Common Sense Media
June 21, 2007
Two new games coming from Rockstar video -- Grand Theft Auto IV (rating pending) and Manhunt 2 (rated AO, "Adults Only," for "prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity") -- are SO not for teenagers, in any way. They pair gore and sex graphically, violently, and gruesomely. Nintendo and Sony have refused to have the games available for their systems due to corporate policies against AO ratings. And Manhunt 2's the gratuitous violence has also led to it being banned in both Britain and Ireland -- the first such action in 10 years.
We urge parents to both heed the ESRB ratings and drill more deeply into the content of these games by reading our reviews when the games are released later this summer. These are not casual ratings. And the ESRB is to be commended for its AO rating (one of only 23 given so far, out of 13,460 titles). Now it just needs to stick to its guns as the appeal process ensues -- and an appeal is inevitable, given that an AO rating virtually guarantees that chain stores like Wal-Mart won't carry the game.
In a letter to ESRB President Pat Vance, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood urged her to stand by the AO rating, citing a reviewer for IGN.com who called Manhunt 2 the goriest, most violent game he's ever seen. Players can saw their enemies' skulls in half with a saw, mutilate them with an axe, castrate them with a pair of pliers, or kill them by bashing their head "into an electrical box, where raw power surges through it and eventually blows his head apart.".
In the meantime, GTA IV has a new trailer coming out June 28. Your kids will be able to see it on game sites and call it up with a simple Google search. Although the game isn't officially rated yet, we're sure it won't stray from earlier M-rated installments. (And, remember, a study found that 42% of purchasers were able to buy M-rated games without an adult present.) Anything that pairs graphic sex and violence shouldn't be played by kids who don't yet have the perspective and experience to understand what they're doing, as well as the social and developmental implications of those actions. It only gets worse when physical movement is involved in hitting, kicking, throwing, or shooting -- as is the case with many new interactive consoles.
Parents: Like the age-bracket creep in movies -- i.e. kids now see content in PG-13 movies that's the equivalent of stuff that would have earned an R rating 15 years ago -- games are also on the move. And this time, it's literal. New console play turns the thumb jockey into a brutal killer which commits the player more deeply emotionally and morally. This isn't a gamer; it's your child. Don't let him or her play these titles.
Go to Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood for more information about what you can do. |
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From the Editors of Common Sense Media
July 9, 2007
Are you ready to go back to Hogwarts for the fifth movie and seventh book? Get reacquainted with your favorite students, teachers, clubs, ghosts, and magical creatures with our mini-glossary.
School Houses
Gryffindor: Harry's house; named for Godric Gryffindor, a Hogwarts founder; Professor McGonagall is head of house; Gryffindors are known for being brave; colors are scarlet and gold; mascot is a lion.
Hufflepuff: Named for Helga Hufflepuff, a Hogwarts founder; Professor Sprout is head of house; Hufflepuffs are known for being loyal and hard-working; colors are yellow and black; mascot is a badger
Ravenclaw: Named for Rowena Ravenclaw, a Hogwarts founder; Professor Flitwick is head of house; Ravenclaws are known for their intelligence; colors are blue and bronze; mascot is an eagle
Slytherin: Voldemort and Malfoy's house; named for Salazar Slytherin, a Hogwarts founder; Professor Snape is head of house; Slytherins are known for their cunning; colors are green and silver; mascot is a serpent
Students
Major Characters
Harry Potter: Our hero
Ron Weasley: Harry's best friend; Gryffindor house prefect
Hermione Granger: Harry's other best friend; Gryffindor house prefect
Draco Malfoy: Harry's enemy; Slytherin house prefect
Fred Weasley: One of Ron's older brothers, a twin, and a DA member; co-founder of Weasleys' Wizard Weezes joke shop
George Weasley: One of Ron's older brothers, a twin, and a DA member; co-founder of Weasleys' Wizard Weezes joke shop
Ginny Weasley: Ron's little sister and DA member
Neville Longbottom: Harry's friend, fellow Gryffindor, and DA member
Members of Dumbledore's Army
Harry Potter: Leader and teacher
Elite Members: Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom
Meeting Regulars: Hannah Abbott, Lavender Brown, Katie Bell, Susan Bones, Terry Boot, Cho Chang, Michael Corner, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, Marietta Edgecombe (Cho's "sneaky" friend), Justin Finch-Fletchley, Seamus Finnigan, Anthony Goldstein, Angelina Johnson, Lee Jordan, Ernie Macmillan, Padma Patil, Parvati Patil, Zacharias Smith (most annoying member), Alicia Spinnet, Fred Weasley, George Weasley
Hogwarts Classes
Apparition: Teaches students about to turn 17 how to "beam" themselves from one location to another. Taught by a Ministry of Magic official.
Ancient Runes Arithmancy: Magical uses of numbers
Astronomy
Care of Magical Creatures
Charms
Defense Against the Dark Arts: How to defend against evil creatures and magic
Divination: Lessons in fortunetelling using many methods (tea leaves, crystal balls, etc.)
Herbology: Study of magical uses of plants
History of Magic
Muggle Studies
Occlumency: Defense against mind reading
Potions
Transfiguration: Turning one object into another
For the full Hogwarts Glossary, please visit http://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent_tips/commonsense_view/index.php?id=247 . |
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From the Editors of Common Sense Media
July 19, 2007
At a recent media briefing during the E3 Media & Business Summit, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime delighted in announcing that the Wii "has proved itself the video game system for everyone." If that's so, then why are they introducing a gun-like accessory for shooting games?
In the middle of previewing several new family-friendly offerings (Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart Wii among others) and a promising new active-play title called Wii Fit, Nintendo introduced the Wii Zapper (name not final), a controller that looks and plays like a gun.
The Wii Zapper will come packaged with games like the upcoming bloody first-person shooter Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and will also be available for purchase as a stand-alone accessory. Users will now have the all-too physical experience of actually pulling a "trigger" (there is also a joy stick element to the Zapper) when they shoot someone. This is not a great development for kids.
While we understand Nintendo's thinking -- they want to bring hard-core gamers to the Wii --we have to wonder what a family-friendly platform is doing adding a tool so intimately violent and imitative of real-life violence. After reaching out successfully to non-traditional gamers -- young women, moms, dads, and grandparents -- they risk sullying a family-friendly game system with a gun. |
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From the Editors of Common Sense Media
March 22, 2007
Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton are going to be counseling overweight campers on the fifth season of The Simple Life. According to an Us.com spokesperson: "The camp has five different themes. And yes, one week is a weight loss/fitness camp. It's not a fat camp." When are the media going to take weight issues seriously? Here are two young women with body image issues (Hilton has admitted to bulimia, and Richie has had a public struggle with her weight) matched up with a group of children struggling with being overweight. And while neither extreme is healthy, there's no question whose issues will appear more glamorous. Our society worships the super skinny. But what about kids who are either overweight or obese? They're the object of scorn and ridicule -- not sympathy. One third of children in this country are either obese or at risk for becoming so. And what they watch plays a real role in their condition. Take a look at this quick video for more on childhood obesity. Also watch our practical tips to help offset the media's pressures to be thin.
For the original article, please visit: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent_tips/commonsense_view/index.php?id=214 . |
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From Matt Berman, Book Editor for Common Sense Media
April 5, 2007
Unless you've been on a desert island for the past decade, you've probably heard about the publishing phenomenon that is the Harry Potter series. Harry mania among both kids and adults has swept around the globe since the first book burst on the scene in 1997. The books -- and their subsequent movie versions -- have made pots of money and become cultural touchstones.
Debates have raged all over the Internet and in thousands of related articles and books about the Potter books' metaphorical meanings, the finer plot points, and how the saga will end. The July 21 release of the series finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- coming just a week after the release of the fifth movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- will be the media event of the year.
So what’s a parent to think about all this? Has it been overblown? Is it all just clever merchandising targeting vulnerable children? Is there real value to this phenomenon? And is it really worth all this massive hype?
The answer, in a word, is yes. It is worth all this hype, and then some. Never have the needs of kids, parents, teachers, and commerce coincided so perfectly. Unless you object to stories involving magic, it's hard to see a downside. Here are just a few of the beneficial effects of this stupendously successful series:
• It wouldn't be unreasonable to say that the Harry Potter series has single-handedly raised the reading level of an entire generation of kids.
• Unlike so many other children’s fads (think Goosebumps more than a decade ago), the Potter series has accomplished the above with high-level, complex, densely intellectual, wildly exciting literature with strong values.
• In libraries and bookstores around the world, kids who've never shown any interest in books are lining up for the Harry Potter series, then begging for more books just like them.
• This series proves that you don’t have to give kids trash to get them to read, and that it's not just bookworms who love great stories.
• It's spurred a resurgence of the fantasy genre. What's so great about that? One of the biggest problems in finding books for kids in grades 4-8 is that their reading level is often far beyond their emotional level. Fantasy is one of the few genres -- perhaps the only one -- in which advanced young readers can reliably encounter rich, complex literature that doesn't bring in the kinds of issues (sex, drugs, alcohol, adult emotions) that they aren't developmentally ready to deal with yet. For the full article, please visit: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent_tips/commonsense_view/index.php?id=218 . |
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This post is from from my other blog here
The other night I was watching Sixteen Candles yet again (I can't help myself) on HBO. I was stunned to hear the word "faggot" spoken by characters at least once if not twice.
Juxtaposed against the recent uproar conservative provacateur Ann Coulter caused recently by calling John Edwards the same word, you can see how far we've come in terms of our sensitivity to the reality that words can hurt.
We've also come amazingly far when it comes to the visibility of gay and lesbian teens. Gay/straight alliances have proliferated in high schools across the country and popular teen dramas like The O.C. and South of Nowhere (and others) have had gay or lesbian storylines. But as visibility has increased so has harrassment and bullying of gay, lesbian, bi and transgender youth at school.
At a recent bookstore event in Austin, two staff from Out Youth attended -- and I was so glad they did. In chapter two of Totally Wired, I talk about the risks involved in coming out online.
The Internet has provided a lifeline to gay/lesbian/bi/transgender/questioning teens whose parents may not be understanding. Many of these teens are depressed and can suffer in silence, especially if they live outside of large cities. Being able to connect with other youth going through a similar experience online can often be the only thing that keeps them going.
At the same time, the anonymity and distance the Internet can offer can create a false sense of security when teens decide to open up about their sexuality on a blog or MySpace. Even if they do it under an assumed name, they can still be discovered and "outed" in very cruel ways by their peers.
What I advised the Out Youth staffers and anyone working with young people who may be struggling with these issues is to warn teens of the dangers of revealing this type of information online before they have come out or discussed these issues with parents and friends. If they are not ready to come out to the offline world, they probably shouldn't come out online on a blog or profile that can be traced back to them.
There are many organizations like Out Youth and Lyric where young people can reach out confidentially for support as well as places online where young people could chat anonymously -- this is different from speaking openly about these issues on a blog or profile.
This article originally appeared on the Totally Wired blog.
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