November 23, 2009 The Federal Communications Commission is
considering whether it should seek greater legal authority to
protect children from dangers posed by new Internet-based media,
including social networking sites, according to a document
released Monday. In a 28-page notice titled "Empowering Parents
and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape," the
Federal Communications Commission announced it is seeking
comment on how it can help children avoid sexual predators,
sexually explicit content, cyberstalking, bullying and fraud, as
well as "excessive and exploitative advertisements." The thrust
of the FCC's notice seems to be to acknowledge that its efforts
to regulate advertising and explicit material in the broadcast
media are of less and less relevance as kids spend more and more
time online. "How does the mobile nature of media today affect
the ability of parents to monitor their children’s media
consumption? What strategies have parents used to monitor their
children’s media exposure outsi