Parents play an important part in ensuring that children become safe and responsible users of media. Common Sense Media has launched a campaign to raise awareness with parents that there are ways to keep children safe and responsible in a digital world.

by Sigrun Landro Thomassen

Our children are growing up in a world filled with technology and entertainment. Digital technology is a source of inspiration and delight, and provides an opportunity to connect with the outside world. However, there are many challenges facing children and parents related to this technology, such as cyber bullying, hours and hours of screen time, increasing sexualisation of culture, online privacy and so on. It has never been more important to help parents understand and deal with everything that is influencing our children.

Parenthood, more important than ever
These challenges are global. The American organisation Common Sense Media has launched a massive television and online advertising campaign entitled "Power to the parent", which is about the challenges that children and families face every day. They offer possible solutions, tools and advice to help parents manage.
“Times may have changed, but parenting hasn't,” Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, writes in a presentation of the campaign.

The campaign videos, which cover a wide range of subjects, are available at Common Sense Media’s website:

Role models

Time spent on computers

Sexting/Texting

Media influences

Celebrity role models