National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:
Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations work with legislators, state and local school boards, and school community councils to establish appropriate social media policies and discipline measures in regards to, but not limited to, cyberbullying, sexting, and hazing.
Utah PTA Legislative Policy:
2. High standards for those who work in all areas concerned with children and youth.
Utah PTA Legislative Priorities:
4. Support safe practices and environments for all children.
National PTA and Utah PTA Position Statements:
Utah PTA 2020 Position Statement on Mass Media
A founding purpose of Utah PTA is to promote safety for children and youth by working to set a standard for the care and protection of children and youth. Utah PTA realizes the technological advances that have an impact on the welfare of children and their families. Utah PTA urges its members at all levels to monitor, support and advocate for laws, regulations and programs that:
● Offer the right of free speech by individuals and the need to uphold freedom of the press.
● Urge parents to be involved with, and monitor the television programs, movies, interactive video games, apps with content available to devices, concerts, music, and print materials their children select.
● Oppose using children and/or their personal information to gather data to be used as a marketing tool.
● Support efforts by parents, broadcast media, content providers, and the FCC to support, monitor, and improve the quality of children’s programming and productions.
● Urge rating systems for apps with content available to devices, recorded music, television programming, movies and interactive video games to alert parents as to objectionable content contained in such.
● Actively seek the vigorous enforcement of current obscenity laws, laws precluding the use of children in pornography and the prohibiting the distribution of pornographic materials to children.
● Firmly oppose the exploitation and/or use of children in suggestive and seductive screen content.
● Increase awareness of the impact of television, video games, apps with content available to devices, music and movie violence on the children of Utah and encourage development of programs to assist families and children in using critical viewing skills.
● Support efforts to encourage broadcasters of network, internet and cable to refrain from making adult materials and programming available for children.
