DU: Do you think parents should edit the media their young kids are exposed to?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

13. Well, children's brains are not developed. They shouldn't be exposed to violence if it can be

avoided. After all, children need a little peace. I think, however, they shouldn't be lied to outright about current events and history, and there are always ways of saying things to kids without outright lying. Seems to me from what I've experienced, that Republicans are into lying and whitewashing history even among themselves, so they would tend to lie to their children, seldom telling them the truth, to make them into good little Republicans. That's the basis for all the Republican censorship of schoolbooks.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2010/1001.blake.html

On the other hand, kids can be taught to think.

I taught social studies for a little while (among other things), and one of the assignments I gave middle schoolers was a project involving commercials and ads. The project involved selecting a commercial or an advertisement, analyzing it, and reporting as to whether the message appeared honest and truthful, and whether one could determine by the message of the ad/commercial and the photos, video alone if what they said about the product could be true, whether more information might be required to determine that, what sort of information might be needed to know that, and to give their personal opinion of the product.

I figured this would help them realize that they could question what they heard, watched, or read, be it a commercial, or pure BS from the MSM. I left the projects pretty much up to them and was awed by the ideas, reports and presentations out of those middle schoolers.

I think lessons of that sort help kids analyze, discern and think about what they watch and read.