WHAT ARE YOUR KIDS WATCHING?: As more families turn to streaming services for children’s entertainment, they should be cautious to assume that a network marketed for children meets their definition of what’s age appropriate. Recently, many child-targeted networks and shows have begun including content that promotes activist narratives and adult themes to kids, chiefly gender ideology. Gone are the days when parents could blindly pass their children the remote to watch their favorite show while they make a phone call or do household chores.
In a world where America’s largest entertainment companies are inserting controversial subjects into their content — both explicitly and discreetly — it is more important than ever for parents to keep tabs on what their children are watching.
NICKELODEON PROMOTES GENDER IDEOLOGY: Nickelodeon, a television network and streaming service aimed at children, has promoted radical gender ideology in its programming, including mentions of children transitioning sexes and other themes surrounding gender and sexuality. Alongside its programming, Nickelodeon also aired a commercial featuring a drag queen singing a song explaining each color of the pride flag.
Nickelodeon is not the only popular children’s network pushing transgender ideology. On streaming service Disney+, a new Star Wars animated series, Tales of the Empire, features a “non-binary” character that uses “they/them” pronouns. The series, which is rated TV-PG, is exposing children to gender ideology, maybe without a parent’s knowledge.
Netflix is also guilty of promoting inappropriate content to children. The Netflix original series, Ridley Jones, which is rated TV-Y, includes a storyline about a female buffalo who identifies as non-binary with “they/them” pronouns.
OTHER NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
VIRGINIA GOVERNOR SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO KEEP CELL PHONES OUT OF SCHOOLS: Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order requiring the Virginia Department of Education to create or adopt policies establishing cell phone-free schools in grades K-12. Read more.
THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (FTC) BANS NGL DIGITAL PLATFORM FROM HOSTING MINORS: The FTC banned NGL, a digital platform where users can send anonymous messages, from hosting minors on the app. According to the complaint, the company allegedly violated children’s privacy laws by collecting data from youths under 13 without parental consent. In a legal settlement, NGL agreed to pay $5 million and stop marketing to kids and teens. Read more.
ANOTHER COURT TEMPORARILY STOPS BIDEN’S TITLE IX RULE: The U.S. Federal District Court for the state of Kansas became the third to put an injunction on the Biden Administration’s Title IX rule, which would change the Department of Education’s definition of sex to include so-called “gender identity.” See American Parents Coalition’s recent Lookout on Biden’s Title IX rules. Read more on this Kansas court decision.
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL TO BAN TRANSGENDER NOTIFICATION POLICY: California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation to stop school districts from notifying parents if their child starts using different pronouns or starts identifying as a different gender. Read more.
Thanks for reading the latest edition of the American Parents Coalition’s The Lookout. If you have a troubling story to share about a school, doctor, company, or other institution working to usurp parents’ rights, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].