As parents I’m sure most of you find it difficult to closely monitor the various types of media your kids are exposed to. Not to mention the messages that are conveyed to them. Let’s talk about our girls for a moment. Recently I was shopping for training bras for my nine year old daughter. It never occurred to me that my search would come to a screeching halt when I failed to locate a single training bra. Not because there was a surplus of girls t-shirts, but because there was an overwhelming amount of GIRLS’ PADDED BRAS?!?! I was appalled and immediately questioned why in the world my nine year old would need a padded bra? As parents, we try in every way possible to protect and safe guard our kids from things we deem inappropriate. But how can we predict that the moment we step out to grab the mail, they will become the target of a 30 second commercial that’s just way too sexy for the tween mind to comprehend..Media exposes our girls to lots of inappropriate sexual messages, but does it promote sexting as well? My parental intuition says the answer is “yes.” Sexting isn’t just something that happens randomly, it’s usually a sign that a girl is in need of attention. Most girls who resort to sexting do it because they are unaware of the consequences or think it will gain them friends. This may be true, but they won’t be the type of friends you’d want them to have. Common Sense Media talks about the marketing our tweens are exposed to, how it can affect their behavior in the future, and ways to incorporate positive messages.
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