Includes bibliographical references (p. [257]-268) and index.

An Inside Look at the Media and Kids -- At Home with the Other Parent -- It's All about Money -- Sex Sells -- Media Violence: In Harm's Way -- The Selling of Kids As Consumers -- The Politics of Media and Kids -- The Power of Campaign Cash -- Taking Back Control: Strategies for Change -- It All Starts at Home -- Calling the Media Industry to Account -- Protecting the Public Interest -- The Challenge of Citizen Action.

Every day your children are bombarded by images of sex, commercialism, and violence -- right in your own home. Kids spend more time each week with media than they do with their parents or teachers, and they learn about the adult world -- through the influence of TV, the movies, music, computer games, and the Internet -- long before they're ready. "This is the new media reality," writes nationally acclaimed child advocate James P. Steyer, "and it is not one that most parents or children are prepared for." With The Other Parent, Steyer offers critical guidance for understanding and processing the media that deluges your kids. Here you can learn how to: talk to your kids about the messages they encounter in the media. put your family on a healthy media diet. initiate activities besides television watching and Web surfing. ... and much more. A widely acclaimed, behind-the-scenes look at the media reality that children face, The Other Parent is a groundbreaking book that will change the way all Americans use and view the media.