Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

How to parent in the digital age

Marketplace Weekend Staff Dec 19, 2014
HTML EMBED:
COPY

How to parent in the digital age

Marketplace Weekend Staff Dec 19, 2014
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Lizzie O’Leary spoke with famed voice over actor Bill Ratner about his new book “Parenting for the Digital Age.”

If you grew up watching “GI Joe” cartoons, Ratner voiced Flint. For years, his voice on television helped market and sell toys to kids. He then created a program called TV Cartoon Scandals – Media Awareness for Children, which tried to make children in the Los Angeles Unified School District aware of the purpose of TV programming: To sell things to young consumers.

In “Parenting for the Digital Age” Ratner shares his own story of controlling media in his house. When his young daughter was glued to the television, he decided to take action. He rewired his entertainment system and created a kill switch. This allowed him to turn off the television when he saw fit. Ratner also bans cellphones in his home at certain hours of the day.

When interviewing parents for the book, Ratner came across two major concerns. The first issue was time  do kids have enough time to veg out and do other things? The second issue was: Who are these people creating the programming for children? Answer: They are strangers and you have no idea what their values are.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.