Parents these days have a lot to deal with--violent video games like Whack your Soul Mate, Mafia Wars and Boneless Girl, internet sites which sell virtual "pets" to children and threaten the kids with unhappiness for their pets if they don't visit the site often enough and buy them enough virtual treats. What's a modern parent to do in the face of big business hooking children emotionally and addicting them to their products? How much hovering is too much? Or is this problem too big for parents to deal with alone?
The parents of California decided that the problem was too big for them to deal with as individuals. They turned to the law for help, and attempted to curb sales of violent video games in their state through legislation. Their efforts, as we know, were thwarted by the U. S. Supreme Court on the grounds that such a law would violate corporate freedom of speech.
I began to give more thought to these issues after a recent conversation with Joel Bakan, a law professor and author of a new book called Childhood under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children. He believes that as a society we have allowed the voice of large corporations to become too loud where children are concerned. The voice of big business now penetrates the walls of our homes and goes right into our children's ears via television and robust internet marketing. In Bakan's view, the problem has now become too big for parents to go it alone as they try to shelter their children from media violence, internet addiction, and direct internet marketing of unhealthy products.
I agree with Bakan that some form of regulation is needed in order to protect an especially vulnerable group in our society. A task force on media violence, such as the one on childhood obesity, might be a good start. Until this happens, and our society realizes that children need protection from corporate assaults, it seems that the helicopter parent is here to stay.
What do you think about this issue? Should parents try the route of legislation or lobbying, or should they go it alone to protect their children. Feel free to post your comments.
