Bringing Common Sense to Media by J.M. Holland

Often we have to make decisions in our homes or classrooms about appropriate media for our children. If you're like me you may not have time to sit down with your child and watch an entire Disney movie so you can answer questions and maybe fast forward through scary parts. It gets even harder when you have a child who begins reading independently. I had two instances this past year when CommonSenseMedia.org came to my rescue. The first was when my son was shown Sleeping Beauty in his preschool. I had never shown my kids that particular Disney movie because of the dragon scene, possibly one of the scarriest bits of hand drawn animation Disney ever made. Besides the fact that Disney continues to kill off parents in their movies (eight according to some estimates including The Lion King, Dumbo, and Bambi. Sleeping Beauty addresses the idea of evil and some issues that I was not ready to talk to my son about yet. That is the great thing about CommonSenseMedia. If I had been able to check the site before my son watched the movie I would have learned about some of the details that parents need to think about. The website provided this breakdown of the film:

Why We Rated This for Ages 4–5

What to watch out for

• Messages :

  Not an issue.

• Violence & scariness :

  Most notably, the prince confronts a scary dragon and fights it with a sword, almost falling down a cliff. This is after he's kidnapped, tied up, and beaten up by Maleficent's ogre-like goons (mostly shown in shadow). The goons also have a creepy dance around a fire. Maleficent's staff shoots lightning bolts, and at one point she dissolves into a green mist. Before the princess pricks her finger, she appears in a trance as she climbs the tower stairs to the spinning wheel.   Most notably, the prince confronts… More

• Sexy stuff :

  A kiss.

• Language :

  Maleficent utters "fools," "idiots," and "imbeciles." She also makes a reference to "hell."   More

• Consumerism :

  Plenty for sale in the packaging of the 2008… More

• Drinking, drugs, & smoking :

  The kings drink to the impending nuptials of their children, and the minstrel helps himself to the leftovers, falling over drunk under the table.  

   

  The kings drink to the impend… More

 

I was able to copy the info above into an email. It really helped support my case that Sleeping Beauty was not appropriate for school without sounding like a goody two shoes.

 

Another reason I had a problem with my son watching Sleeping Beauty is that as an educator I believe there is a difference between educational entertainment and kids entertainment. Both have their time and place but, the place for kids entertainment is not in the classroom. I can best describe the difference between educational entertainment and kids entertainment as the difference between watching Dora the Explorer and watching Sponge Bob. Most parents don't mind Dora because "Hey, they're learning Spanish." Watching Dora also exposes young kids to sorting, matching, and retelling stories to name just a few of the skills Dora covers. Here is what CommonSense says about Sponge Bob,

 

Parents need to know that this cartoon includes violent, dark satirical humor that will confuse kids who can't separate fantasy and reality. Characters' relationships are marred with name-calling and mockery, but no one ever seems affected by the exchanges. Anger and frustration often lead to physical (which, in the real world, would be harmful) resolutions that leave no lasting effects. Messages about friendship, perseverance, and self-respect are mixed into the plot, but the overall silliness of the show and the main characters' annoying behavior often make them hard to find. All in all, this is a real "know your kid" situation. 

Another way the web site shows it's usefulness is when you have a kid who is reading above their age level. Over the past year my daughter has progressed from reading picture books, to American girls historical novels, to some of the classics of children's fiction. When it came time to decide if she could read the Narnia series I checked the website at the suggestion of our local children's librarian. I found that it was appropriate for her age and did not deal with issues beyond her experience.

 

So the next time you decide to show a child a video in your home and you are not sure how educational it is, check out CommonSenseMedia and make an informed decision.