Exposure to educational television has been shown to have positive effects on the social, intellectual, and educational development of children. Is it possible to find truly educational content on broadcast television? Articles below deal with 1) television broadcasters' obligation to provide educational programming for children, 2) efforts to shield children from indecenct programming, 3) advertising aimed at children and 4) children and violence.
Children and Media
Senators Markey, Blumenthal Push Zuckerberg to End "Friendly Fraud" on Facebook
Sens Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to Facebook urging the company to institute policy changes in light of evidence that third party game developers manipulated children into spending their parents’ money. Previous reporting by the Center for Investigative Reporting demonstrated that Facebook personnel had direct knowledge that children were spending large sums of their parents’ money on in-app purchases without parental knowledge or permission. New evidence now reveals that Facebook has still not instituted key policy changes to address this issue.
YouTube under federal investigation over allegations it violates children’s privacy
Apparently, the Federal Trade Commission is in the late stages of an investigation into YouTube for allegedly violating children’s privacy, in a probe that threatens the company with a potential fine and already has prompted the tech giant to reevaluate some of its business practices. The FTC launched its investigation after numerous complaints from consumer groups and privacy advocates.
FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for July 2019 Open Meeting
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the Open FCC Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 10, 2019:
Chairman Pai Blog: A Giant Leap For 5G
At the Federal Communications Commission’s July 10 meeting, we will aim to take some important steps forward on the spectrum side of our Facilitating America's Superiority in 5G Technology (5G FAST) plan. Mid-band spectrum, which offers an important combination of 5G coverage and capacity, is central to our strategy. That's why today, I’m circulating an order to open up the 2.5 GHz band for 5G.
Where 20 years of child online protection law went wrong
Two decades after Congress tried to wall off the worst of the Internet in hopes of protecting the privacy and innocence of children, the ramparts lie in ruins. Many popular online offerings maintain they are “not directed” at children. But the services also don’t ask users how old they are. This tactic, lawyers say, helps the companies sidestep the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a 1998 law that restricts the tracking and targeting of those younger than 13 but requires “actual knowledge” of a user’s age as a key trigger to enforcement.
Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2019
As the share of Americans who say they own a smartphone has increased dramatically over the past decade – from 35% in 2011 to 81% in 2019 – a new Pew Research Center survey finds that the way many people choose to go online is markedly different than in previous years. Some highlights:
3 million US students don’t have home internet
In what has become known as the homework gap, an estimated 17 percent of US students do not have access to computers at home and 18 percent do not have home access to broadband internet (nearly 3 million students), according to an Associated Press analysis of census data. The consequences can be dire for children in these situations, because students with home internet consistently score higher in reading, math, and science.
Agenda
Doors open at 8:30 am
9:00 a.m. Welcome
James P. Steyer, Common Sense
9:10-10:00 a.m. Where Do We Start?
Tristan Harris, Center for Humane Technology
Ellen Pao, Project Include
10:00-10:50 a.m. Putting the Equity in Tech
Maria Alvarez, Common Sense
Kim-Mai Cutler, Initialized Capital
Michelle Hyman, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Shireen Santosham, City of San Jose
Rachael Myrow, KQED
Want Better Education in Rural America? Start with Broadband
Nationwide, rural communities have 37% more residents without access to high-speed internet connections when compared with their urban peers. This becomes a problem as classrooms have become increasingly digital, says Kathryn de Wit, manager of the broadband research initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts.
FCC Can't Say if TV Content Ratings Are Accurate
The Federal Communications Commission completed a three-month, Congressionally-mandated report by the FCC's Media Bureau looking into the television content rating system.