The UK skeptically eyeballs Parents on reality TV

The NSPCC is to set up a new body to protect children who appear on reality TV after a series of “irresponsible” parenting programmes.
The charity will bring together experts to advise producers on how to make sure children are safe when making shows.  It comes after a Channel 4 series included advice to parents to ignore a baby’s cries and children on a BBC show were left with inexperienced teenagers.  The NSPCC said it feared the rise in reality parenting TV was “harmful”.

The society highlighted the recent Channel 4 series Bringing Up Baby, which used child rearing methods from the 50s, 60s, and 70s advocated by three mentors.
During the programme, which aired last year, one of the mentors advised parents to ignore the cries of their infant and resist cuddling them.  The programme generated 752 complaints from viewers but was later cleared of wrongdoing by media watchdog Ofcom.

At the time, Channel 4 said it took children’s welfare “very seriously” and the programme had been made in accordance with Ofcom’s broadcasting code.

However, the NSPCC says it wants future programme makers to assure the public that the safety of the child is taken into consideration.

The charity said it intends to write to professional nursing and medical associations to help set up the expert advisory group.

Dame Mary Marsh, director and chief executive of the NSPCC, said: “The group would advise on the latest developments in childcare advice and psychology ensuring that children’s rights and developmental needs are the utmost priority at all times.

“We need responsible broadcasting that is not at the expense of children’s wellbeing.”

BBC NEWS | UK | Charity to protect children on TV

Good news for those worried about the tater tots touted on TV, there’s a posse of positive people planning on helping you youngsters out.

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Tags: UK, TV, BBC, social responsibility, media, reality television, children, youth, families, parenting

Games & Social Responsibility: China-style

Shortly after the start of 2008, I traveled to Shanghai to attend the International Games and Learning Forum, an event organized by the MIT Education Arcade team in collaboration with Peking University and funded by the Hewlett Foundation. The gathering brought together some leading American thinkers (including Sasha Barab, Eric Klopfer, and Scot Osterweill) about the pedagogical potentials of games with their Chinese counterparts in education, government and industry. Special thanks to Alex Chisholm who organized the event.This fascinating series of conversations started broadly with a consideration of the current context of digital games in China and ended with a concentration on the value of games as a resource for teaching foreign languages. Here I want to share with you some impressions about the current state of games in China which emerged from these exchanges.

Confessions of an Aca/Fan: Games and Social Responsibility — Perspectives from Shanghai

This is a great article regarding China & social responsibility & gaming.  I have to process it more before I can put together somewhat tangible thoughts that may parallel China’s objectives and understandings to our own here stateside.

Regardless, it’s a good one!

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Tags: China, social responsibility, social networking, social responsibility

Tech Barbie Rocked it out for 2007

Inspired by the success of BarbieGirls, and building upon its past good fortune with fashion games (such as the Barbie: Fashion Designer PC games), Mattel made its mark on this week’s Sandbox Summit by launching its newest girlie-tech initiative, a CD/collectible card game hybrid called Barbie iDesign.

Gamine Expedition: iBarbie

I encourage you to jump over to Sara Grime’s Gamine Expedition page for thoughts & research/tid bits regarding Barbie & the year of 2007.  Innnnnnnnteresting stuff. 

Knowing that a good portion of ya’ll are marketers, or bloggers, or bloggers about marketing, and some youth enthusiasts, etc, I get the vibe that Barbies aren’t necessarily everyone’s pick-o-the toy chest. 

I am actually one who has fond, loving memories towards that busty blond. 

As a child with a HUGE imagination, a penchant for storytelling & play acting, and the complete LACK of ability to sit still long enough to type on the computer– Barbies were such an outlet for me. 

I was not, am not, and probably will never be a fashionista– instead enjoying the “camp counselor” meets “I just fell out of my closet this way this morning” look… the whole ‘barbie fashion’ thing never quite sunk in. 

Regardless, I played (albeit secretly) until I was 13 years old (Yes, I know that’s old to still be playing with a barbie… But i’m secure with it!).  Barbie wore socks, Skipper’s hair was chopped off (she was the tom-boy of the bunch), and the Muppet Babies figurines from McDonald’s Happy Meals were the adopted children. 

So, although I am TOTALLY on board with the anti-over-fashion-diva-princess-hooker dolls created for this demo (especially Bratz), I will always be grateful to my Barbies for allowing me to channel my own stories & dreams & play room dramas.  And I hope they somehow manage to do the same for other girls out there willing to cut through the hoopla & uber pink & over-sexualized diva-tism. 

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Tags: barbie, tech, ibarbie, barbiegirls, virtual worlds, toys, products, kids, girls, play patterns, youth, children, dolls