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61-437: A twelve-year-old boy named Thomas Miller is a school troublemaker. He gets into fights, causes distractions in class, and tells lies. At the beginning of the movie, Thomas is seen fighting another student until Principal Hampton intervenes. He is next seen in class with Mrs. Bleckner, where he is assigned detention for goofing off. While in detention, Mrs. Bleckner leaves to finish her nails and hair. Thomas sneaks out and goes to

122-701: A public school in Harlem . Steyer later graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University where he was awarded the Lindsey Peters Award for Outstanding Work in American Government. After two years of community development work in Asia, he attended Stanford Law School and graduated in 1983. During law school, Steyer was part of a group that founded the East Palo Alto Community Law Project,

183-1022: A "madcap tween story has cartoonish violence, some bullying." Common Sense Media Common Sense Media ( CSM ) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. It also funds research on the role of media in the lives of children and advocates publicly for child-friendly policies and laws regarding media. Founded by Jim Steyer in 2003, Common Sense Media reviews and allows users to review also, divided into adult and child sections. It has reviews of books, films, television shows, video games, apps, websites, podcasts, and YouTube channels and rates them in terms of age-appropriate educational content, such as " positive role models ", "positive messages", diverse representation, " violence and scariness", " sexual content ", " language ", " consumerism " and more, for families and caregivers making media choices for their children. They have also developed

244-759: A Stanford course lecture, featuring guest speakers such as Condoleezza Rice , Thomas Friedman , Jim Mattis , Nicholas Kristof , and Reid Hoffman . Steyer launched the Future of Tech Commission with former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings as co-chairs, in April 2021. The commission will compile solutions for a comprehensive tech policy agenda, under President Biden and The United States Congress, on topics such as privacy, antitrust, digital equity, content moderation and platform accountability. Founded in 2003, Steyer's nonprofit organization, Common Sense Media , focuses on

305-419: A fellow FBI Agent. Randal, Albert, and Thomas all perceive that the kidnapper plans to strike during the school dance that weekend. Thomas invites his best friend Jackie to accompany him, but Principal Hampton and Mrs. Bleckner kick them out. They sneak in any way and continue to search to discover the kidnapper. Albert joins Thomas and Jackie in their search. Meanwhile, Randal looks on his own and comes across

366-477: A helicopter. Thomas jumps onto it, sneaks up on the janitor, and knocks him out before putting the helicopter on autopilot. A SWAT team and the National Guard appear with military-style assault rifles and get Thomas and the president's Daughter to safety. Thomas is worshiped as a hero, and everyone throws a huge celebration. Brian Costello of Common Sense Media gave the film three stars out of five, describing

427-509: A month in articles, reviews and advice columns. Common Sense Media helps parents and their children to identify content that could be harmful to a younger audience. During a U.S. House of Representatives hearing in December 2021, Steyer claimed that Common Sense Media had 1.2 million registered teacher members. Their education programs focus on digital literacy and citizenship for students & parents and are in use in more than 90,000 schools across

488-562: A national child advocacy and media group, Jim Steyer founded Common Sense Media in 2003. In an interview with The New York Times , Steyer said he intended to "create a huge constituency for parents and children in the same way that Mothers Against Drunk Driving or the AARP has done." The group received $ 500,000 in seed money from a group of donors including Charles Schwab, George Roberts, and James Coulter. To assess parents' concern about their children's media habits, Common Sense Media commissioned

549-924: A non-profit legal services center for low-income families in East Palo Alto, California. After Stanford, he became a law clerk for Justice Allen Broussard of the California Supreme Court . He then served as a civil rights attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. There, he helped spearhead the Poverty and Justice Program, focused on developing national legal and legislative strategies on behalf of disadvantaged African Americans. Steyer has been teaching courses as an adjunct professor at Stanford University in political science, education, civil rights and civil liberties for 35 years. He has also authored three books: The Other Parent: The Inside Story of

610-401: A poll, which found that "64 percent [of parents with children aged 2–17] believed that media products in general were inappropriate for their families. It said that 81 percent expressed concern that the media in general were encouraging violent or antisocial behavior in children." The polling firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, said that "only one out of five interviewed 'fully trusted'

671-414: A potentially dangerous digital world. During a May 2012 segment of NPR 's Fresh Air with Terry Gross , Steyer noted that, "In a world where everything's photographed, where kids are constantly snapping photos on their cellphones and where youthful indiscretion is exactly the same as it's always been, the consequences can be much greater". In 2020, Steyer authored Which Side of History: How Technology

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732-471: A set of ratings to evaluate apps, games, and websites used in a learning environment. Donations from foundations and individuals and fees from media partners finance Common Sense Media. Today, the organization distributes its content to more than 100 million US homes via partnerships with a variety of media and tech companies. Common Sense Media describes itself as "the nation's largest membership organization dedicated to improving kids' media lives". By 2016,

793-596: A signed permission slip. In 2023, Steyer was a speaker at SXSW , representing Common Sense Media in the panel discussion How Teens Really Feel About Social Media . He was also a featured speaker at the 2023 Aspen Ideas Festival . In January 2024, the first annual Common Sense Summit on America’s Kids and Families was held, featuring speakers such as Vivek Murthy , Hillary Clinton , and Sam Altman . In 2014, Steyer supported California's "Eraser Bill", which lets California children under 18 remove their postings from social media websites. The same year, Steyer called

854-721: Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives . Bruce Reed , Deputy Chief of Staff to President Joe Biden, co-wrote a chapter pushing for reforms of the Communications Decency Act. Sacha Baron Cohen and Michael Bloomberg were also contributors. Steyer lives in the Bay Area with his wife, Liz (née Butler), and their four children. His wife is the Director of the California Institute on Law, Neuroscience and Education , an interdisciplinary research and policy institute funded by

915-529: Is a K-12 Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum consisting of more than 60 lesson plans, student handouts, videos and interactive components that span three topic areas: Safety and Security, Digital Citizenship, and Research and Information Literacy. The curriculum was informed by research done by Howard Gardner's GoodPlay Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The resources were developed with support from many foundations, including

976-421: Is a Parent Media and Technology Education Program that was launched in late 2008. The program includes a comprehensive library of resources, like tip sheets, workshop slides and script, videos, and discussion guides that educators can use to engage and educate parents about technology issues ranging from media violence and commercialism to cyberbullying and cellphone etiquette. The second product, launched in 2009,

1037-522: Is an endorser of the SUCCESS Act and has partnered with ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners to encourage low income families to claim money due to them through the newly improved Child Tax Credit —as much as $ 3,600 per child in an eligible family for one year. In June 2024 Common Sense Media endorsed the SAFE For Kids Act which is a New York law that bans "addictive" feeds for minors under

1098-735: Is awarded annually to Stanford faculty, staff and teaching assistants, in 2010. Stanford students also voted for him to be Class Day speaker during Stanford's graduation exercises. In 2011, the New York Times reported that Steyer was helping build the Center for the Next Generation, a nonprofit that aims to influence public policy debates focused on national children's and energy issues. When Google announced in January 2012 that it would be compiling data about users from across its many sites, Steyer

1159-471: Is thinner than their current size and that children with parents who are dissatisfied with their bodies are more likely to feel that way about their own. In September 2017, CSM released a study which it developed in collaboration with the University of Southern California 's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism focused on families in both Japan and America and technology use. Surveys of families in

1220-678: The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rules to ensure that they keep pace with changes in technology since the law was passed in 1998 – as documented by the organization in a report to the Federal Trade Commission as part of a review of the law. The organization also helped Massachusetts Representative Edward Markey and Texas Representative Joe Barton draft legislation that required websites aimed at children under 13 to obtain parental permission before collecting personal information. According to The Wall Street Journal ,

1281-520: The Los Angeles Times , Steyer's college friend, Mike Tollin, said "[Jim's] whole focus on kids comes from his close relationship with his mother…She was the kind of woman who would sit you down, ask you how things were, and you felt like you needed to tell her the truth." Steyer graduated early from Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and worked with his mother teaching remedial reading at

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1342-631: The National Institutes of Health released a white paper , which outlines the ways that media exposure can impact children's health. The paper evaluated 173 media-related studies from the past 28 years and concluded that "In 80% of the studies, greater media exposure is associated with negative health outcomes for children and adolescents." In October 2006, the organization released a white paper compiled from existing research on body image perceptions in children and teens. The paper states more than half of boys as young as 6 to 8 think their ideal weight

1403-488: The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), a ballot measure to protect the privacy rights of California consumers and increase penalties on corporations that fail to protect children's privacy. CSM supported Stop Hate for Profit, a boycott where advertisers were asked to pull their ads from Facebook in response to the platform's spread of misinformation and hate speech. In July 2020, over 500 companies joined

1464-519: The Common Sense Education program had grown to include over 300,000 member teachers in approximately 100,000 schools. In 2009, CSM partnered with Harvard University and the organization Global Kids to organize a three-way communication with parents, teenagers, and educators about issues faced in the online world. The organization has education programs for schools and other organizations to use with students and parents. The first product

1525-540: The ESRB rating process, citing the wide availability of the leaked version and the damage to children that the censored version still had. Questioning whether Common Sense Media had begun functioning as a lobbying group rather than advocacy group the Los Angeles Times called the organization "one of the most zealous voices when it comes to encouraging state legislation limiting the sale of ultra-violent games to minors" and

1586-570: The Media's Effect on our Children in 2002, which focuses on the effects certain media and government regulators have on children, Talking Back to Facebook: The Common Sense Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Age in 2012, and Which Side of History: How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy & Our Lives in 2021. His former students include New Jersey Senator Cory Booker , former National Security Adviser Susan Rice , and Chelsea Clinton , who he raved

1647-558: The National Parenting Association and the San Francisco Free Clinic. In 2012, Steyer released Talking Back to Facebook , a book that deals with the presence of digital media in the lives of children. The book, with a foreword written by Chelsea Clinton , advocates for larger parental involvement in children's technological activities. Talking Back to Facebook outlines strategies for safeguarding against

1708-715: The Sherwood, MacArthur , and Hewlett Foundations, which enables CSM to offer these products to educators for free. In 2012, CSM released its "Digital Passport", an online curriculum designed to teach children how to safely and responsibly navigate the Internet. The courses can be accessed for free by classroom teachers, who are then able to monitor their students' progress. Digital passport lessons are presented as games that reward progress with badges. In 2021, resources were updated for UK learners, fully translated to British English and Welsh, and available in every school. Lessons are built on

1769-576: The U.S. Common Sense Media played a major role in the passage of the 2005 California law restricting the sale of violent video games, but was struck down by the Supreme Court. In March 2012 the feature length documentary Bully was released into AMC Theatres with a "Pause 13+" rating designated by Common Sense Media. The film had previously been rated R by the MPAA . Under the new rating, AMC theaters allowed entrance to viewers under 17 provided they had

1830-406: The U.S. Department of Commerce's creation of an "online privacy policy", which would include a "Privacy Bill of Rights" and would make clear which types of personal information companies are allowed to keep on clients. Steyer has also called for updates to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), calling the time of the act's creation "the stone age of digital media" and pointing out

1891-493: The United States were compared to surveys of Japanese families and found that both countries struggle with the impact of technology on family life and relationships. Common Sense Media released a PSA with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in 2017 called Device Free Dinner which featured Will Ferrell as a distracted dad at the dinner table, in order to raise awareness for responsible technology and media usage. Common Sense

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1952-421: The age for which a title is either appropriate or most relevant. An overall five-star quality rating is also included, as are discussion questions to help families talk about their entertainment. In addition to CSM's traditional rating system, they also offer a set of learning based ratings, which are designed to determine complex educational values. CSM partners with a number of media companies that distribute

2013-670: The age of 18 without parental consent. They endorsed the act because they believe it will improve mental health for minors as well as "reel in big tech". Common Sense Media's Program for the Study of Media and Children provides data relating to the developmental influence of technology on children. Jim Steyer James Pearson Steyer ( / ˈ s t aɪ . ər / ; born 1956) is an American civil rights attorney, professor, and author. He founded Common Sense Media , an organization that "provides education and advocacy to families to promote safe technology and media for children." Steyer

2074-457: The boycott, including Adidas , Coca-Cola , and Unilever . Founder Jim Steyer launched the Future of Tech Commission with former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings . The commission will develop a tech policy agenda for the Biden administration. Common Sense Media played a major role in the passage of the 2005 California law criminalizing

2135-449: The closet door and finds Randal inside, bound and gagged. She sets him free, and the two go to stop the janitor, who Randal reveals to be the villain. Mrs. Bleckner and Randal arrive and run onto the dance floor. Mrs. Bleckner exclaims that the janitor is the kidnapper and that she just saved Randal's life. The janitor is outraged, grabs the president's daughter, and flees. Albert, Randal, Thomas, and Jackie chase him down and follow him onto

2196-518: The company's Chairman and CEO. Under Steyer's guidance, the company used various platforms to broadcast more educational and entertaining content. JP Kids also provided an online outlet for teens to share opinions, explore alternative points of views and discuss political and environmental topics. Steyer was awarded Stanford's highest teaching honor, the Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching, which

2257-609: The effects that media and technology have on young users. Steyer describes the group as "nutritional labeling of media". The leading national media advocacy group is financed by donations from foundations and individuals and fees from media partners. Common Sense Media distributes its content to more than 100 million US homes via partnerships with Comcast , Time Warner Cable, DIRECTV, NBC Universal , Netflix , Best Buy , Google , Yahoo!, AOL , Huffington Post , Fandango, Trend Micro , Verizon Foundation, Nickelodeon , and more. Steyer's advocacy has reached tens of millions of parents

2318-478: The endorsement was Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day . To cover the organization's ever-growing expenses, Common Sense Media started charging for access to its media reviews in 2021. Users may access a limited number of media reviews per month for free. Unlimited access to reviews (for the website and the mobile app) requires a paid Common Sense Media subscription. As of 2016,

2379-561: The game, which was censored to prevent the game from remaining banned in both countries, was still banned in the UK via the ratings given by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). They also noted that players could still play a "leaked uncensored version" of Manhunt 2 on modded PlayStation 2 , as Take-Two Interactive mentioned. The organization asked the FTC to launch a federal investigation into

2440-443: The group also wanted websites to feature an "eraser button" that would allow children and teens to delete information that they've posted online about themselves. The group also favored a ban on "behavioral marketing" to children—ads targeted at children based on their online activities. In 2013, CSM pushed for the passing of California's "Eraser Bill". In 2014, they advocated the passing of California Senate Bill 1177, which prohibits

2501-665: The lack at the time of platforms such as Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. In 2018 Steyer wrote in favor of sweeping privacy legislation, similar to the European Union's GDPR (2018), writing in the San Francisco Chronicle: "California families also deserve the right to informed consent when it comes to their personal information." Common Sense and Steyer sponsored the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 which guarantees new data privacy rights for

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2562-417: The library to read and talk with other students instead. On his way to the library, he overhears an unseen figure discussing a plot to kidnap the president's daughter on a cellphone. Petrified by this thought, Thomas leaves. Thomas then encounters an FBI agent named Randal. Randal claims to be involved in researching the case and trying to stop it. Thomas explains what happened, and the two meet up with Albert,

2623-409: The national advocacy effort, Common Sense Kids Action, to push for certain state and federal efforts to bolster education for children. CSM supported the U.S. Department of Commerce's creation of an "online privacy policy", which would include a "Privacy Bill of Rights" and would make clear which types of personal information companies are allowed to keep on clients. It has also called for updates to

2684-651: The organization had over 65 million unique users and worked with more than 275,000 educators across the United States. Common Sense serves over 100 million users a year. In 2016, Charlie Rose reported that Common Sense Media was the United States' largest non-profit dedicated to children's issues. In August 2020, CSM announced the formation of a for-profit subsidiary, Common Sense Networks, to create and distribute original media targeted at children. Common Sense Networks then announced an OTT platform named Sensical, which launched June 29, 2021. After founding JP Kids, an educational media company for children, and Children Now,

2745-519: The organization's free content to more than 100 million homes in the United States. According to their website, the organization has content distribution contracts with Road Runner, TiVo , Yahoo! , Comcast , Charter Communications , DIRECTV , Disney , NBC Universal , Netflix , Best Buy , Google , Huffington Post , Fandango , Trend Micro , Verizon Communications , Nickelodeon , Bing , Cox Communications , Kaleidescape , AT&T , and NCM . The organization's current rating system differs from

2806-496: The passage of California Senate Bill 1177 "a big win for kids". The bill prohibits the sale and disclosure of schools' online student data. The bill also forbids targeted ads based on school information and the creation of student profiles when not used for education purposes. In 2016, Steyer led Common Sense to launch Common Sense Legislative Ratings in an effort to publicize legislative bills that would help children and expose bills that could harm them. Common Sense Media supported

2867-481: The red flags the report card raised was that one-fifth of California children lacked health insurance and only half were immunized. Shortly after starting Children Now, Steyer noticed a serious need for high-quality educational TV programs for kids. In response he started JP Kids in 1996, a for-profit company that produced such shows as The Famous Jett Jackson , which aired on the Disney Channel . Steyer served as

2928-474: The respondents expressed support for the bill, and another 75% held negative views of the video game industry when it comes to how they protect children from violent video games. On August 12, 2006, CSM protested to the Federal Trade Commission about the ESRB's rating downgrade of a revised version of Manhunt 2 from "Adults Only" to "Mature". It protested on the basis that the revised version of

2989-404: The sale and disclosure of schools' online student data. The bill also forbids targeted ads based on school information and the creation of student profiles when not used for education purposes. As of January 2015, social media websites must allow California children under age 18 to remove their own postings. In 2018, CSM advocated for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). CSM also endorsed

3050-430: The sale of violent video games to minors. The organization submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court regarding the case Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (formerly Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association ). They published a survey, conducted by Zogby International, which asked 2100 parents whether or not they supported the "video game ban bill" – CA Law AB 1793; results showed that 72% of

3111-540: The same curriculum with the addition of new teaching tools and activities. In 2013 CSM launched Graphite, an online resource for teachers that allows them to review and rate educational technology. The project is supported by Chicago philanthropist Susan Crown and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates ' bgC3 . Common Sense Media has played a role in influencing billions of dollars in government spending on education-related technologies including classroom broadband access and various learning apps. In April 2015, they launched

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3172-504: The separate industry-controlled ratings systems for music, movies, video games and television." Common Sense Media reviews thousands of movies, TV shows, music, video games, apps , web sites and books. Based on developmental criteria, the reviews provide guidance regarding each title's age appropriateness, as well as a "content grid" that rates particular aspects of the title including educational value , violence , sex, gender messages and role models, and more. For each title, they indicate

3233-599: The state's consumers, with extra protections for kids under 16. The legislation, AB 375, took effect in 2020. They also endorsed the 2020 California Proposition 24, the Consumer Personal Law and Agency Initiative. Also in 2018 Steyer joined with former Google employee Tristan Harris and Facebook investor Roger McNamee on the "Truth About Tech" campaign. In 2018, Steyer was included in an article by The Wall Street Journal called "The New Tech Avengers", "an unlikely triumvirate of Silicon Valley insiders [...] holding

3294-564: The system used by the Motion Picture Association of America and the Entertainment Software Rating Board. It has received positive support from some parents, and was singled out by US President Barack Obama as a model for using technology to empower parents. Common Sense Media began allowing studios to use their ratings and endorsements in order to promote family-friendly movies in 2014. The first film to use

3355-569: The tech industry accountable on privacy and addiction." On 25 September 2020, Steyer was named as one of the 25 members of the "Real Facebook Oversight Board" , an independent monitoring group over Facebook . Steyer is the author of The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media's Effect on Our Children . According to Stanford Magazine , the book "paints a frightening picture of greedy media companies, indifferent government regulators and parents too overwhelmed to pay attention." He has served on numerous non-profit boards including Children Now,

3416-426: The unseen kidnapper. The kidnapper, fearing being exposed, attacks Randal using a broom and drags him away. Albert, Thomas, and Jackie continue searching the dance floor for clues, but none arise. However, there is a suspicious feeling lurking about. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bleckner is seen walking down the hall, patrolling as a hall monitor, where she hears banging on the door of the janitor's closet. Now suspicious, she opens

3477-450: Was "splitting hairs" regarding the difference between lobbying and advocacy in its efforts. Common Sense Media participated in the FCC's Child Obesity Taskforce in April 2006 and hosted Beyond Primetime , a panel discussion and conference on issues related to children and media, featuring lead executives from the nation's top media. In June 2006, CSM and The Department of Clinical Bioethics at

3538-626: Was also a partner with Hillary Clinton on the Too Small to Fail initiative. In June 2016, Steyer was included on Tech & Learning's 2016 List of the Most Influential People in Edtech. That same year, Steyer launched the Common Sense Kids campaign through Common Sense Media creating "a mass army for kids" by focusing on children's issues in the political field. Steyer currently leads

3599-638: Was born in New York City in 1956. His mother, Marnie (née Fahr), was a remedial reading teacher at the Brooklyn House of Detention, and his father, Roy Henry Steyer, was a partner in the New York law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell . His father was Jewish and his mother Episcopalian . He has two brothers: Hume Steyer and Tom Steyer . Steyer was highly influenced by his mother, who would sometimes bring him to class as her teaching assistant. In an article in

3660-599: Was quoted as saying that "Even if the company believes that tracking users across all platforms improves their services, consumers should still have the option to opt out — especially the kids and teens who are avid users of YouTube , Gmail and Google Search . In 2012, the Department of Education and the F.C.C. recruited Steyer as the chairman of the Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission, which enhances digital devices and curriculums in schools. Steyer

3721-482: Was such a "star student" that he hired her as a teaching assistant and research aide. Steyer founded his first child advocacy venture, Children Now, in 1988. Children Now was one of the main lobbying groups that fought for the three-hour-a-week educational children's programming quota which eventually became law. The group also became well known for publishing a "report card" on California's children. This report card helped to shed light on important statistics. One of

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