Consuming Innocence: Popular culture and our children

Consuming Innocence: Popular Culture and Our Children is an engaging and thought-provoking look at the effects of popular culture on children, parenting, and family life. It is down-to-earth, confronting, and accessible without sacrificing intelligent argument, analysis, and discussion. Underneath the conversational tone and common-sense advice is serious and comprehensive research.

This timely book explores the complex relationship kids—from tots and tweens to teens—have with popular culture. Without blaming children or parents, Consuming Innocence considers the role of celebrities, fads, technology, fashion, school, the media, and, most importantly, parents, and the part they all play in creating children's ideas of themselves.

Chapters focus on specific elements of global popular culture, from the corporations that target kids and promote sexuality, to toys, TV shows like The Simpsons, film, celebrities, internet sites, children's fashion, and parenting practices. It looks realistically at what has been described as the crisis of stolen childhoods, but with empathy, understanding, and humour.

Consuming Innocence shows how parents, grandparents, teachers, and other concerned adults can educate themselves about popular culture and the messages it gives. By doing this, we can pro-actively inform children and teenagers about popular culture, and support and protect them when necessary.