November 28, 2007 

Holiday marketing blitzes can have kids asking for media titles that aren’t age-appropriate – here are some tips for giving good stuff

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Parents, don’t be surprised this holiday season if your children’s wish lists have a few media titles that give you pause.

“With huge holiday marketing blitzes for DVDs, video games, and music, it’s almost a sure thing that younger kids will be exposed to ads for media titles that aren’t age-appropriate,” said Common Sense Media President Anne Zehren. “That can present a sticky situation when your 13-year-old son asks for an M-rated game or your tween-aged daughter wants a PG-13 movie.”

To help parents avoid giving bad media gifts and get to the good stuff, Common Sense offers these tips:

DVDs

• If they're asking for Superbad, think about giving The Simpsons Movie. The same type of edgy, in-your-face humor, but more age-appropriate for young teens.
• If they're asking for Bratz: The Movie, think about giving Hairspray. A much more fun bet for the tween set – and without the marketing tie-ins to those awful dolls.

MUSIC

• If they're asking for Blackout by Britney Spears, think about giving Spice Girls Greatest Hits or Ms. Kelly by Kelly Rowland. The pop princess has been no role model as of late, and her newest album has lots of steamy innuendo and heavy breathing. Kelly Rowland and the Spice Girls offer pop fun without (as much) overt sexuality.

GAMES

• If they're asking for Assassin’s Creed or Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, think about giving Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction. Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty 4 have been the subject of big marketing campaigns that won't have escaped the notice of gaming teens. But both of these M-rated titles feature intense, lifelike violence. For a good new action title with violence that doesn't exceed cartoon-like realism, Ratchet and Clank fits the bill.

For more great media gift recommendations, visit Common Sense’s Holiday Gift Guide here.