Marketers are intentionally exploiting the vulnerabilities of our children. It's unacceptable. It's 100% within our rights and lies within our responsibility as citizens, as parents and as consumers to set some boundaries on marketing to kids.

* Directly marketing unhealthy food is a direct cause of childhood obesity, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

* Directly marketing credit cards by allowing credit corporations to write the curriculum or put their logo on high school signage or playgrounds or put product placement in their play cash registers is directly effecting kid's knowledge of money and credit negatively.

* Directly marketing to young girls in a beauty-obsessed way and using sexualized images of young girls in marketing and advertising sexualizes girls. It makes them believe it's okay to be consumed.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is making this a bi-partisan election issue.

Our campaign to get Democratic and Republican platform planks to protect children from marketers is gathering momentum. Last week, we met with the Democratic Party's National Platform Director and CCFC members around the country attended local platform meetings to advocate for a platform plank on the commercialization of childhood. This week, we need your help to demonstrate the broad support for these planks by signing petitions to the Democratic and Republican Platform Committees.

Sign the petition to the Republicans.

Sign the petition to the Democrats.

Sign both petitions and let whoever wins know they will be held accountable to you and your kids.

Forward this to your friends so they can take political action to protect our kids from direct marketing.

Why should you care?

Read more about exploitive credit tactics in, I Saw Satan on TV (and he's a little dork)

APA Sexualization of Girls Devastating

Read more about Precocious Puberty, which many experts say is food related both in the way of pesticides, hormones and obesity.

Watch a short film about how we're both allowing marketers to consume our kids and teaching them to be insatiable hyper-consumers at Consuming Kids.

What's the #1 thing we should teach our kids? Marketing Resistance. They're really gonna need it.

Who doesn't need a corporate sponsor for their project?

Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH does, of course.

According to Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, they plan to rename their ER The Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center in exchange for a $10 million donation.

The CCFC has made this statement in a letter to the hospital asking them to keep the money and refuse to advertise.

Research links sexualization and objectification with some of the most pressing and common health problems for girls including depression and poor sexual health. It is also distressing that a children's hospital would promote a company that features impossibly thin and idealized body types in its advertising when 10 million girls and young women in the United States are struggling with an eating disorder.

We understand that it is common for public health institutions to seek gifts from the business community. We are not asking that the hospital return the money. But gifts that include a quid pro quo like naming rights cross the line from philanthropy to advertising. Given that this company has built its brand by sexualizing and objectifying children, no public health institution should be advertising Abercrombie & Fitch.

I had to agree I looked at some of Abercrombie & Fitches' advertising, Thongs (pictured) for 10-year-olds that say "eye candy." Shirts with slogans like "Who needs brains when you have these?" (pink shirt pictured) and "Do I make you look fat?" Ads touting group sex to sell clothing to teens and preteens. When it comes to sexualizing children, Abercrombie & Fitch is among the worst corporate offenders.

Send a letter telling the hospital you think it's a bad idea to let our kids associate Abercrombie and Fitch with their health and well-being. You can do it quick as night at this link.

I am sick to death of inappropriate commercials popping up during family or kids programing.

Here's the thing - We're a captive audience during commercials. I shouldn't have to spend so much time hollering "Ainsley close your eyes!" while watching television.

The FCC is a literal joke. They will take zero action ever. Well, they'll fine Janet Jackson for someone else ripping off her top on national television - but that's it.

In a letter responding to my complaint of a commercial of violence of a sexual nature so disgusting it turned my stomach the FCC responded that "each network was responsible for the content of their own commercials."

Essentially the government agency we've assigned to make sure nothing lewd gets shot across the airwaves to pollute my or my children's brain has decided the entertainment industry is allowed to show whatever they like during commercials.

Who made that stupid rule?

That's got to change. Which brings us to a group, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which is trying to take action with the film industry which seems to violate age-appropriate whenever possible.

From the press release: Led by CCFC, a coalition of twenty-one advocacy groups is demanding that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) comply with the Federal Trade Commission's recent recommendation for explicit restrictions on the marketing of PG-13 films to young children.

In a letter sent last week to MPAA CEO Dan Glickman, CCFC urged the MPAA to develop a policy that would restrict the advertising of PG-13 films on children's television; prohibit restaurant toy giveaways or other food promotions aimed at young children for PG-13 movies; and insure that any toys released in conjunction with a film carry an age recommendation consistent with the film's rating.

This past summer, CCFC filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission that Transformers - rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language - was being marketed extensively to preschool children through television advertising, food promotions and licensed toys. Last week, the FTC acted on CCFC's complaint by urging the MPAA to adopt guidelines for the marketing of PG-13 movies.

“Transformers is just one of a string of violent, PG-13 movies marketed to preschoolers,” said CCFC’s co-founder and director, Dr. Susan Linn. “For too long, the film industry has undermined its own rating system by bypassing parents to target young children directly with marketing for films that the industry itself has determined warrant parental caution.”

“Transformers is just one of a string of violent, PG-13 movies marketed to preschoolers,” said CCFC’s co-founder and director, Dr. Susan Linn. “For too long, the film industry has undermined its own rating system by bypassing parents to target young children directly with marketing for films that the industry itself has determined warrant parental caution.”

It's enough already. The CCFC does not accept corporate funding, but relies on donations if you're looking for a worthy cuase.

For more on my experience with the FCC read Misogynistic Violence for Breakfast.