small screen News Digest of Australian Council on Children and the Media (trading as Young Media Australia) ISSN: 0817-8224 No. 238 Dec 2007/Jan 2008 Managing the media: do parents find it Parents’ concerns about each type of media Virtual playgrounds for the young showed 30% had concerns about TV; 28% easy? re games and 24% about mobile use. Only According to Brooks Barnes, writing in According to a recently released report, 14% of parents thought TV had many posi- the New York Times, (http://www.ny- “The vast majority of parents say that their tive benefits, compared to 53% for the in- times.com/2007/12/31/business/31virtual. children’s television viewing, gaming, ternet, 20% for mobiles and 4% for games. html) some of the Web’s fastest growing internet use and mobile phone use is easy businesses are virtual worlds for children. to manage”. The full report can be found at: http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/ Although Second Life and other virtual This summary statement appears in the main/lib101058/media_and_society_re- worlds for adults have fallen short of com- Australian Communications and Media port_2007.pdf mercial expectations, children’s sites such Authority (ACMA) report Media and Commu- as Club Penguin and Webkinz are prov- nications in Australian Families 2007: report Activists unite against children’s ing much more popular. For example, of the Media and Society Project published in Club Penguin where members pay $5.95 a Sydney in December. The finding above channel month to care for penguin characters and was part of a community research project On 22 January 2008, The Sydney Morn- play with them, attracts seven times more in which 751 Australian families with chil- ing Herald published an article by traffic than Second Life. Money is made by dren 8-17 yrs were surveyed about their Patricia Edgar and Barbara Biggins which such sites through charging subscriptions use of, and attitudes to, media. argued that there are better ways to meet and fees for onsite activities and/or by children’s needs for relevant, quality and advertising. The broad finding above does not fit with non-exploitative media for children than the experience of organisations such as by spending $82million on a new Children’s entertainment companies, spot- Young Media Australia, especially in children’s digital TV channel. ting a business opportunity, are working relation to young children (the study did fast to develop new sites. These include not look at under 8s), and also given many The article received attention from a several sites based on Disney movies and parents’ concerns about the marketing as- number of sources. Jenny Buckland, Chief a string of worlds developed by Nickelo- sociated with all those media. Executive, Australian Children’s Televi- deon. Toy manufacturers such as Lego and The picture of “easy management” is not sion Foundation and Kim Dalton, direc- Mattel are also involved. so clear cut when the figures behind the tor of ABC Television responded to the summary are examined. article in a letter published in The Sydney The appeal of virtual worlds for children Morning Herald on 25 January, argu- includes the ability to be in charge of In relation to individual media, only 36% ing that as children all over the world decision making and shopping with digital of parents said TV was very easy to man- turn away from free-to-air television, money. age; 40% said the same in relation to mo- digital channels are “the future of home- bile phones, 39% for video games, and 37% grown, culturally relevant programs”. Parents and advocacy groups are becoming for the internet. Only when those parents The ScreenHub news bulletin (http:// increasingly concerned about the growth who found it “fairly easy” to manage www.screenhub.com.au) for 25 January of virtual worlds for increasingly younger media were added in, did the combined reported: children. Some sites are now aimed at pre- percentage rise to 65% of all parents. So schoolers, with pictures being used to con- around 35% of parents of children over 8 Patricia Edgar and Barbara Biggins are trol actions so that reading is not needed. yrs (assuming a small % of “no opinion”) the two most terrifying activists in child- Privacy and safety are a growing concern, found it fairly or very difficult to manage rens’ TV. Edgar is the legendary ex-leader although many companies have introduced media. Interestingly, that percentage rose of the ACTF, while Biggins runs a lobby controls which protect children. with family income. group from South Australia called Young Media Australia. They are incensed by the Nevetheless, exposure to advertising for When asked to rank which media were way that the ABC promotes merchandise on movies and other products, enticement to hardest to manage, 26% parents said TV, kids’ programs.......... The ABC is unamused spend real money to participate on some 30% mobiles, 29% games and 32% inter- and reckons they are just plain wrong. sites and increasing screentime being net. spent by children in worlds constructed Links to the article and respons- Other findings of interest were that par- by the media and marketing industries are es, and more details of YMA’s ents were more likely to have rules about a considerable concern, according to the argument against a children’s digital the amount of time spent, or when, media Campaign for a Commercial Free channel can be found on the YMA website at were used (74% for TV and 64% for games) Childhood http://www.youngmedia.org.au/what- than about content, (45% had rules for TV http://www.commercialexploitation.org/ snew/inthenews.htm#jan08_02 content and 48% for games.) MANAGING MEDIA EASY FOR PARENTS? EDITORIAL: ARCHBISHOP CALLS VIRTUAL PLAYGROUNDS FOR NATIONAL INQUIRY FOR THE YOUNG ACTIVISTS UNITE ON CHILDREN’S CHANNEL TV & HYPERTENSION GROWING UP IN A MATERIAL WORLD small screen Dec 07/Jan 08 p2 EDITORIAL Archbishop calls for national inquiry on consumerism and children no. 238 Dec 07/Jan 08 Our guest editor is Dr Philip is extremely hard to resist, both by children Freier, the Anglican Archbishop and parents. Even the most careful parents small screen of Melbourne. This is an edited find it extremely difficult to steer their children Editor: Barbara Biggins OAM version of an article which was away from these unhealthy influences. Compiler: Caroline Donald published in The Age on 17 Editorial Board: Barbara Biggins, December 2007. There was much talk about the economy Jane Roberts, Judy Bundy, and economic management during the Elizabeth Handsley. Our society is far too lax about the widespread election campaign, but very little said about the kind of society we want to be. small screen is published at the exploitation of childhood and teenagers beginning of each month and through advertising and consumerist Rightly, there is a growing concern about reports on the events of the expectations that are resulting in serious climate change, but what about society change? previous month 11 issues per levels of depression among young people. year (Dec/Jan double issue) One barometer of the health of our Published by In the lead-up to the federal election, society is the mental health and wellbeing Young Media Australia I called for a national inquiry into this of our children and young people. All PO Box 447 disturbing situation, and now that our new the signs are that this is under threat. Glenelg 5045 Government is in place, I renew that call. South Australia Children have a right to their childhood, [email protected] I remind our national leaders that there has but we are stealing it, particularly because www.youngmedia.org.au been a fourfold increase in depression among our society encourages the media, the Tel: +61 8 8376 2111 young people in the past 30 years in this advertising world and the internet to Fax: +61 8 8376 2122 country, with an estimated 100,000 young Helpline: 1800 700 357 pressurise children and young people to be people now suffering depression. I am told that obsessed with body image, fashion and sex. YMA is a national, non-profit 20,000 prescriptions are written annually for community organisation. antidepressants for children and young people. We need a national inquiry because we need the Its mission is to promote a evidence not just to alert us to the problem - we quality media environment for As many as one in five are suffering from some know there is a problem - but to help us maximise Australian children. sort of eating disorder, with children as young the healthy nurture and training of young minds as 12 vomiting and fasting to lose weight. And No part of this publication from childhood to adulthood. We need to with what has been called the “pornification” may be reproduced without understand the causes behind what is happening permission of the Editor. of the public space, we have created a culture to our young people, and to understand what that is toxic to children, sexualising them before Contributions are welcome. we, as responsible adults, can do about it. they are physically or psychologically ready. The terms of reference must be far-reaching, In some suburbs, children are confronted daily because we need to investigate all the issues Young Media Australia’s by huge billboards advertising brothels as we anecdotally blame for the anxiety and services are supported they travel to and from school. As they watch depression suffered by our young people. For television, read newspapers or the advertising by grants from the a start, I would hope an inquiry would examine material that pours through the letterbox, they the way that advertisers are able to market The South Australian see endless idealised, airbrushed images that to children with seemingly little restriction.