There are always “ bad things” that we want to protect our kids from, but there’ve been a spate of occurrences from different avenues that have gotten me a bit more flustered than usual. Over the past few days I had some odd media observations that just got me going. There seems to be a juggernaut of media that is plowing down collective innocence of our kids. (I know I’m not the first to feel this and likely not to be the last.)

Just this past weekend, Nickelodeon aired the 2010 Kid’s Choice Awards. Going back a number of years ago, I recall watching most of this show with my kids and considering it pretty benign. The humor was at the level of assorted kid-related celebrities getting “slimed” as is Nickelodeon’s long time running gag. Over the years though, I suppose as the event became more popular and as Nickelodeon’s audience aged, the show began taking some dramatic twists. I think it reached a new low in particular with last year’s event where Miley Cyrus performed a song half spinning around a pole in short-shorts. I caught a glimpse from this year, and saw a scantily clad Katy Perry get slimed followed by the cameras spanning the audience to see Snoop Dogg of all people. Am I trying to knock down Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg? No, but I also don’t think that they’re appropriate celebrities to be presenting to kids.

My media disgust continued when I saw a new “viral” video which recently hit the web where a group of schoolchildren perform a version of the Al Pacino film Scarface with references to cocaine et al. (BTW, I think its utter garbage and while I am ranting about it, I won’t link to it.) It’s obviously contrived and I don’t buy for a minute that this was an actual school play. In various social media outlets it’s getting a mixture of glorification and vilification. This piece troubles me on a number of fronts:

  • It’s getting a fair share of people who find it amusing.
  • Who are the parents of these young children who let their kids participate in this mess?
  • Who would develop this piece thinking it was entertaining?

What’s my point? Mostly venting on my part, but I feel as if there’s a growing multi-media assault on our children’s innocence. I’m sure that the sentiment isn’t unique to my fellow parent’s and my generation, but it seems that the confluence of media sources (music, television, online, mobile) is blitzing kids at a faster rate than ever before. When did grown-ups begin to think it was cool or hip to try to get children to understand cultural nuances that are geared for adults and can only perhaps be comprehended (appreciated?) as adults? For instance, Shrek. Love the film Shrek. It was a film that had various references in the dialog that were intentionally aimed at Mom and Dad. As Shrek 2 and 3 came out though, it seems like the movies weren’t written anymore for children, but for the adults who were in the audience. The kids still seemed to enjoy them, but the humor was getting beyond what I’d want my younger kids to perhaps be able to process. The worst part is that it’s become the “norm” now for a lot of children’s entertainment. Now, they’re expected to get the jokes.

Now, take all that stuff that you want to make sure you limit your kid’s from being thrust into. Add in the fact that your child may have a cell phone and use the computer for schoolwork or go online to some sites for fun even. Does your child have na email address? Facebook account? Go ahead, go get yourself some Advil now. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Media is evolving and parents need to be on top of it to help educate their children as well as to ensure that the blitzkrieg doesn’t run them over.

More than ever I feel that we have to be cognoscente of what our children are exposed to. I don’t ever mean to smother my children and not let them be aware of the world, but I’d like them to be able to spend as much of their childhood being kids and not thrust into the adult world too soon either. Let the kids be kids a while longer.