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What do the candidates think about the kids-and-media issues on parents' minds? |
Click here to join the online discussion at The New York Times' Politics Blog "The Caucus"
Recently, Common Sense Media submitted a questionnaire to the major presidential campaigns asking the candidates to give their positions on the biggest kid-and-media issues facing parents today.
We asked them about childhood obesity, violent video games, advertising targeted at kids -- and even what rules they have for their own children about media use. The answers provide both a glimpse into the candidates' lives as parents and an outline for how each candidate would address the serious media challenges the country faces.
Check out their responses at a glance below, or click here to see the full questionnaire.
(Several candidates said that they will submit responses to the questionnaire, but did not meet the initial deadline. We'll update these pages as more candidates give us their answers).
At a glance:
The chart below outlines the candidates' positions on some of the biggest kids-and-media issues facing parents today.
For more detailed responses, and to see what the candidates said about managing their own kids' media use, check out the full questionnaire.
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Q:Would the candidate support laws to keep ultraviolent video games out of the hands of kids?
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Would act if the industry fails to police itself effectively.
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Would consider steps if the industry doesn't continue to improve sales and advertising practices.
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Yes, would consider legislation, but thinks parental education is key.
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Would enforce existing obscenity laws and go after retailers who sell ultraviolent games to kids.
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Yes, co-sponsored the Family Entertainment Protection Act. Would work to protect kids from violent games as president. |
| Q:Would the candidate take steps to increase diversity of media ownership? | Yes. Excessive media consolidation is a big problem. | Yes. Media consolidation threatens free speech. | Will work hard to ensure that media consolidation doesn't continue along the current path. | (Did not answer) | Media ownership consolidation is a major problem. Sponsored Media Consolidation Protection Bill. |
| Q:Would the candidate support legislation requiring kids to get 'media literacy' education? | Would support establishing programs and creating incentives to give children skills to use new media tools. | Would support school districts that decide to offer media literacy instruction. | Thinks states and localities should decide how to spend federal education money, but that digital media education should be emphasized. | Education ought to be a partnership between parents, teachers and students. | Would support expansion of media literacy programs as president. |
| Q:Would the candidate support reglation of junk food ads on kids television? | Questions whether controlling advertising would help kids in the long run. Supports teaching kids how to sort through ad messages. | If the rest of the industry won't follow the lead of companies like Kraft and Kellogg, governtment action may be necessary. | Would work to get junk food out of schools and bring back mandatory Physical Education. | (Did not answer) | Would like to see entire food industry follow the lead of the companies that signed onto the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. |
| Q:What steps would the candidate take to make the Web safer for kids? | Would require ISPs to offer parental controls, and would support strong criminal penalities for sex offenders. | Would support legislation such as the Combating Child Exploitation Act, which would give law enforcement tools to investigate Internet crimes. | Would remove statute of limitations on sexual predators and require lifetime supervision of sexual predator convicts' Internet activites. | Would propose new, tougher federal penalties for first-time offenders who use the Internet to sexually assault children. | Co-sponsored Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act, among other initiatives. Would continue to support similar efforts. |
GO TO: full questionnaire.
