6 Ways That Parents Can Push Back Against Harmful School Commercialism

Parents hoping to limit their kids’ exposure to excessive commercialism are understandably frustrated when marketers invade traditionally “commercial-free” venues outside the home.

At school, in particular, children have little choice to avoid advertising, which can now be found everywhere from yearbooks and team uniforms to class websites, cafeteria banners, and even homework folders.

Here are six ways you can protect your child from harmful advertising messages at school:

1.   Teach your child to be a smart consumer

When you and your child see an advertisement, make deliberate comments and judgements about the ad and actively explain the nature and selling intent of the marketers. By looking critically at ads with your kids, you’re providing them with the defense they need when they encounter ads without you. For more on how to maximize these teachable moments, check out New Dream’s Kids Unbranded: Tips for Parenting in a Commercial Culture, which provides sample questions you can ask your kids when decoding ads.

2.   Conduct a school walk-through

The next time you’re at your child’s school for a meeting or to pick them up, look around for any sponsored materials. Are there vending machines or fast food banners in the cafeteria? Advertising flyers on the bulletin boards? Televisions in the classroom? New Dream’s Schools Unbranded Action Kit offers resources to help you assess the threat level of your school’s advertising choices, as well as steps to take if the advertising is harmful.

3.   Opt out of Channel One

If you see televisions in the classrooms, ask your kids whether they watch Channel One. For more than two decades, Channel One has given AV equipment to schools across the country if they agree to use class time to watch a daily “news” show with embedded commercials. If your child watches Channel One, talk to the teacher about your concerns (learn more about Channel One and the “news” stories and types of marketing that it promotes in our Kids Unbranded guide). If the teacher continues to broadcast Channel One, ask whether your child can opt out and do work in another location.

4.   Familiarize yourself with your child’s curricula

Even more worrisome than banner ads and vending machines is when marketing makes its way into the school curricula. Scholastic, for example, has supplied public school fourth graders with materials funded by the American Coal Foundation, including a “United States of Energy” curriculum that offers a one-sided view of coal, failing to mention its negative health and environmental effects. Flip through your child’s textbooks and homework assignments, and have discussions with your child if you feel that the material is one-sided. Alert your child’s teacher of your concerns.

5.   Get to know the games and apps

More and more, children are asked to rely on technology throughout the school day. Ask them what games and apps they use in school. Have them show you how the game is played or the app is used, and note whether the site is ad-free. If you don’t approve of the marketing tactics on these sites, ask the teacher if your child can use an alternative, ad-free site, or whether the school can install ad-blocking software.

6.   Provide alternatives to school fundraisers and incentive programs

Does your school host Scholastic book fairs? According to a company representative, 35–40 percent of the books sold at the typical Scholastic fair are linked to a movie, TV show, or video game. If your school hosts these events, talk to your librarian about working with independent booksellers to hold less-commercialized versions. If they won’t, have your child opt out and let him or her know that he can choose a book from your favorite bookstore. Similarly, if your school participates in incentive programs such as Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! program, talk to the teacher about your concerns, or replace the fast food reward with a reward of your choosing.

By taking steps to push back against the rampant commercialism in our children’s schools, you can help your child understand the effects of commercialism on our quality of life, the environment, and a just society. We need to raise a generation of young people who can lead happier and healthier lives as they build better and stronger communities. We must work to raise humans, not consumers.