Exposure to educational television has been shown to have positive effects on the social, intellectual, and educational development of children. Is it possible to find truly educational content on broadcast television? Articles below deal with 1) television broadcasters' obligation to provide educational programming for children, 2) efforts to shield children from indecenct programming, 3) advertising aimed at children and 4) children and violence.
Children and Media
FCC Agenda for July 2018 Open Meeting
[Press release] The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on the subject listed below on Thursday, July 12, 2018:
A Solid Process and Proposal to Update Kid Vid
[Commentary] Congress passed the 1990 Children’s Television Act to tie broadcast-license renewals, the main asset of a local station, with a fairly general obligation to air educational and informational programming for children. Over the years, the Federal Communications Commission has imposed multiple rounds of added burdens on broadcasters under the premise of implementing the law.
Conservative Groups Push for Loosening Kids TV Mandates
Limited-government groups want the Federal Communications Commission to limit the mandates in its enforcement of children's programming legislation dating from the early 1990s, while a prominent kids TV group sees it slightly differently, while agreeing changes are needed.
Highlights from Benton’s Four Decades: The Campaigns for Kids
It started with a cold call from the Ad Council to the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). In 1996, the Ad Council, with more than $2 billion a year in donated media for public service advertising (PSA), decided to make a ten-year commitment to campaigns on behalf of children as the centerpiece of its work. To launch the initiative, the Ad Council was looking for a partner who could deliver a grassroots network and reinvent fulfillment for PSA campaigns in the digital age (replacing 800 phone numbers and brochures with multimedia websites to provide information and resources for action).
FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for July 2018 Open Meeting
[Press release] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the July Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 12, 2018:
Scoring a Victory for 5G
When it comes to 5G, we need to keep the playbook fresh and forward leaning. So at our July 12 meeting, the Federal Communications Commission will take another step to ensure that America continues to lead the world in mobile innovation. Headlining the agenda at the FCC’s July meeting is a proposal to make more intensive use of mid-band spectrum from 3.7 to 4.2 GHz, commonly called the C-band. Another area in which the FCC has made substantial progress but must not stand still is emergency alerting.
Senator Markey: Facebook Responses About Children's Online Privacy Leave Families Unprotected
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) released the following statement after Facebook provided responses to questions posed by Sen Markey in the wake of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica privacy breach. In his questions, Sen Markey asked Facebook to commit to not include advertising in children’s offerings and to commit to not share children’s information for targeted advertisements, once young users turn 13.
Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018
Until recently, Facebook had dominated the social media landscape among America’s youth – but it is no longer the most popular online platform among teens, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Today, roughly half (51%) of US teens ages 13 to 17 say they use Facebook, notably lower than the shares who use YouTube, Instagram or Snapchat.
Sens Udall, Gardner Introduce Bill to Put Wi-Fi on School Buses
Sens Tom Udall (D-NM) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced a bill to put wireless internet on school buses in order to help students without broadband access at home get online to study and do homework.
Sens Markey, Bluemnthal, Reps Barton, Rush Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Protect Children’s Online Privacy
Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep Joe Barton (R-TX), along with Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) reintroduced the “Do Not Track Kids Act”, comprehensive children’s online privacy legislation. The legislation updates the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by expanding and enhancing rules for the collection, use and disclosure of the personal information of children 15 years and younger.