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Founding member of Common Sense Media and new FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will testify at a July 22 Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the Children's Television Act. The 1990 act made it mandatory for TV broadcasters to air a minimum number of hours of children's educational programming. Broadcasting & Cable reports that the hearing "is believed to be a broad inquiry into how and whether the bill needs to be updated to reflect the explosion in screens and channels beyond traditional broadcast to cable, satellite, computers, cell phones and other portable personal devices." Media activist Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy has frequently called for more government involvement in online media marketing to kids. He says in B & C:

"It's timely for Congress to re-examine how the TV and digital media industry are serving the educational needs of young people, as well as the impact advertising has on them. But the world which saw they need to pass the original CTA has dramatically changed. Any examination of a CTA for the digital age must review the state of the online media and youth: especially social networks, online video, games, and mobile services.''

The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) recently released a report, F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America 2009, which found that child obesity rates in every state exceed 20%. In addition to the over-eating of unhealthy, high-calorie food, the report found one of the main causes of child obesity is hours of media consumption, which leads to inactivity. The report highlights how obesity affects children's health:

• Nearly 32 percent of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or obese (at or abovethe 85th percentile of BMI for age).
• Approximately 60 percent of obese children aged five to 10 years had at least one cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor such as elevated total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, or blood pressure -- and 25 percent had two or more CVD risk factors.
• Childhood weight problems can lead to complications such as elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, joint problems, type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, asthma, depression, and anxiety.
• Severely overweight and obese children often suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, isolation from their peers, lowself-esteem, andneating disorders.

In response to this obesity epidemic, The National Institute on Media and the Family has developed Switch, a way to help children and families develop healthy lifestyles, targeting three key areas: physical activity, screen time, and nutrition. To learn more about Switch, click here.