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The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
From: Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood <ccfc@jbcc.harvard.edu>

Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:48:33 -0500 (EST)
Why is the National School Boards Association Selling Kids on MySpace?

The escalating push to drive kids to commercial online social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, which are rife with embedded advertising, is getting a boost from an unexpected quarter the National School Boards Association.  This summer the the NSBA published a report
urging school boards to reconsider any rules against using commercial social networking sites in classrooms.  While extolling the educational benefits of these sites, the report made no mention of the fact that it has become glaringly obvious that their primary purpose is to generate advertising revenue. This omission is not surprising.  The research, conducted by a public relations firm which is selling its data to corporations who wish to exploit it, was funded by Microsoft (which has a financial stake in Facebook), News Corporation (which owns MySpace) and Verizon (which advertises on both sites).  Citing the inherent conflict-of-interest, CCFC sent a letter to the NSBA today demanding that they disavow the report and advise school boards around the country about the subtle and unscrupulous marketing techniques practiced by major commercial social networking sites.  

Tell the NSBA: Stop selling kids on MySpace


Why We Are Concerned:
From Webkinz and Barbie Girls.com to Facebook and MySpace, children are spending more and more time on social networking sites and marketers are developing new ways to exploit their popularity. Both MySpace and Facebook also plan to mine users' profiles for data that will allow marketers to send ads targeted specifically to their interests. Facebook is also encouraging young users to allow the company to send their friends unsolicited ads disguised as personal endorsements.   Marketing on MySpace includes ads promoting fast food giants McDonald's, Burger King and Jack-in-the-Box; tobacco brands including Marlboro, Camel, and Skoal; and brands of alcohol including Skyy Vodka and Captain Morgan. The Captain Morgan MySpace page explicitly promotes binge drinking and alcohol-fueled sexual activity.

The NSBA's report exemplifies  CCFC's concerns about the effects of corporate involvement in nonprofit  organizations like NSBA which are charged with promoting the education, health  and well-being of children. If the  report was merely the product of Microsoft, Verizon, News Corporation and a PR  firm, it would be easy for schools to dismiss its self-serving findings. But  with NSBA's imprimatur, the recommendation that schools "reexamine social  networking policies" that ban the use of MySpace is likely to be taken  seriously.  As marketing becomes more  sophisticated and ubiquitous, the NSBA should be working to set limits on  corporate access to children, not helping to promote their brands.  Educators need
objective, honest information  to guide their efforts toward helping students grapple with the current  unprecedented convergence of sophisticated, ubiquitous media technology and  unfettered commercialism.  Instead, the  NSBA has given them industry-funded PR masquerading as a "report."

What You Can Do:
 
1. Join  with us in urging the NSBA to immediately disavow their report and advise school boards around the country about the subtle and unscrupulous marketing techniques practiced by major commercial social networking sites.

2. Help us minimize the impact of the report by sharing our letter to NSBA with your local school board. Most  school board email addresses and contact info can be easily found on the  web. You can also use this  opportunity to find out if your school district has a policy restricting access to commercial social network sites and urge them to adopt one if they do not.
 
Thanks,
 
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
www.commercialfreechildhood.org
Support CCFC. We rely on our members because we will not compromise our commitment to children by accepting corporate funding. To make a tax-free
contribution, please visit http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/donate.

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