Parents.
In case you don’t already realize it with every ounce of your being: YOU HAVE A VOICE!
Times are uncertain lately, to be sure, but we can—and do—make a difference when we come together and advocate for the best interests of our children. This last week alone is proof of that, as parents have stood together to demand change in inappropriate movie, app, and video game content.
Last week, several articles circulated the internet regarding the kid’s movie, Show Dogs, whose questionable content had several parents raising their eyebrows in disbelief. As the news of the inappropriate content picked up speed, parents from all across the world joined forces to demand that the movie be boycotted or that the content be edited.
And guess what? It worked! Global Road Entertainment edited the unwelcome content out of their movie.
Parents:1, Media: 0.
Just as the Show Dogs fiasco was wrapping up, a new feature on the popular app, Snapchat, made its way into the limelight. This feature, tellingly named “Cosmo After Dark”, was “an X-rated weekly edition that goes live every Friday at 6 p.m. and is exclusively dedicated to all things hot and h*rny,” according to its creators at Cosmopolitan.
While this feature of the app was only intended for use by Snapchat users 18 and older, parents were rightfully outraged that children would also have access to the content as there were no substantial parental control settings put in place to prevent that from happening.
Again, parents led the charge and stood their ground, calling for the removal of the feature from the popular app.
One week into its debut, Snapchat pulled the channel.
Parents:2, Media: 0.
And this week, when news of a video game in which the player could take on the role of an active school shooter (yes, you read that correctly, and no, we couldn’t believe it either), an outraged community made their voices heard.
Aside from taking to social media to share their upheaval, over 150,000 passionate advocates signed a petition at Change.org to prevent the launch of the game.
Hours later, Valve Corporation, which owns the online gaming storefront Steam where the game was to be available, released a statement that the game and its developer had been removed from their platform.
Parents:3, Media: 0.
You see, the events of the last week teach us two powerful messages:
First, we do have voices and we can make big changes when we exercise them.
Secondly, it isn’t just our right to use these voices, but it’s our responsibility.
In a world where times are so uncertain, isn’t it empowering to know that we still have a say in the well-being of our children?
We know what’s best for our kids; let’s show the world we’re willing to fight tooth and nail to achieve it.
We won’t stop advocating for our children, and we won’t allow these concerns to arise uncontested.
Thank you, parents, for bringing your voices to the table in a world that desperately needs more speaking-up and less turning-the-other-way.
Job well done!