A parent's guide to the media
Jim Steyer educates families and companies about appropriate content for kids.
SAN FRANCISCO — As far as Jim Steyer's children are concerned, he has the worst job ever. Their friends complain that because of what he does at the office, they're forbidden to visit some websites or watch certain TV shows.
The grousing doesn't bother Steyer, the founder and chief executive of Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org), because it's proof of his success.
An educator and author, Steyer started the nonprofit five years ago because he didn't think the entertainment industry's rating systems adequately helped parents decide what their kids could -- or should -- watch, listen to or play. He also saw the need for a public policy organization that focused on children, parents and media.
Steyer doesn't consider himself rigid as a parent or CEO, and the Common Sense motto is "Sanity, not censorship." He says his approach is to help parents by nudging them to talk to their kids about the latest violent YouTube video and to teach them to become their own filters. After all, they are the ones immersed in it.
(Not that his philosophy makes much of a difference when he tells his own children they can't buy "Grand Theft Auto IV." Nor when he reminds them as they kvetch, "I don't write the reviews.")
In the last year, San Francisco-based Common Sense has seen its registered user count mushroom from 45,000 to about 200,000. Time Warner Inc., Comcast Corp. and Cox Communications Inc. now buy Common Sense reviews and tips for parents and make them part of their cable services.
That puts Common Sense in about 50 million homes, by Steyer's estimate. The organization's video game reviews appear on Best Buy Co.'s website, which plans to add Common Sense movie reviews too. Netflix Inc. already has them on its site. "You need the media companies to distribute your content," Steyer said. "But they don't always like what you say."
The growing reach of the organization gives Steyer clout when he speaks to Congress or the Federal Communications Commission, as does his background: He founded and for six years ran a media company, JP Kids, that developed TV programs including "The Famous Jett Jackson," which aired on the Disney Channel.
"He has the passion for doing good but the savvy of a businessman," said William E. Kennard, a former FCC chairman. "He figured out that if he could cut deals with the cable industry he could leverage his organization."
