Posted by the_punnisher, a resident of the Whisman Station neighborhood, on Nov 13, 2012 at 3:16 pm

I have a parent who is working toward a doctorate at this school. I have learned a bit advice from this parent who was second in command at SJUSD...

My advice: Get the "H" out of CA and to a State that ENCOURAGES LESS MEDIA OVERLOAD!!

Don't push the idea that " EVERY PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED ON THE INTERNET! ". That is one of the problems created by today's parents. EVERY company markets their Offerings with the small disclaimer " ask your parents " to go on-line to buy,buy, BUY their product.

My answer was to change my surroundings to were a child WANTS to go outside. The TV was in the same situation half a century earlier. It was " the perfect babysitter " which also sold products. I still turned it off to play outside...

Posted by OldSchool, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Nov 14, 2012 at 8:34 am

Schools are the marketing playground for the tech companies around here. An app is being made for everything they do at school - state capitals, long division, DNA.. And how do kids access these apps? Oh yeah, they have to have a computer or an ipad. (cha-ching!) What was so wrong with a slate tablet and a piece of chalk - there might not be musical jingles or cartoon characters popping up but it gets the job done, old school style.

Posted by Otto Maddox, a resident of the Monta Loma neighborhood, on Nov 14, 2012 at 2:41 pm

No matter what someone says the ultimate power still falls on the parents. Unless the kid somehow has money of their own the parensts are the ones paying for all this nonsense.

Turn off the TV and tell your kid to go outside.

Of course no one lets their kids go outside anymore. We're all terrified that the boogie man will get them.

When I was a kid I lived outside. My Mom wouldn't have let me sit on the couch watching TV. She would turn it off and tell me to go outside. And I did.

Posted by Irene, a resident of the Jackson Park neighborhood, on Nov 17, 2012 at 8:45 am

The biggest problem that most research neglects is that children are bombarded with consumer items when they go to the stores these days with their parents. It's no so much the media anymore. It's everywhere now and a lot harder to avoid then turning of the TV.