Kids in the Know was established in response to state and federal efforts to severely restrict the use of mailing lists used to reach families with children. Kids in the Know is working to educate lawmakers about measures that restrict communications with children and to alert the public to the negative consequences of this type of legislation.
Legislation is regularly introduced in Congress and some state legislatures that would effectively destroy the use of family and education-oriented mailing lists and the Internet. These measures have been characterized as "child protection" or "child privacy" measures. In fact, the effect of many of these measures would actually be anti-education and anti-children.
The initiatives are inherently flawed. No child has ever been harmed by a mailing list. And these restrictive bills would have a devastating impact on the use of family-oriented lists by anyone, making it impossible to compile or use lists to provide families with essential services.
For example, this type of legislation would harm the ability of schools, colleges and universities to communicate with students through the mail and the Internet; hundreds of children's book and magazine publishers who use lists to contact prospective subscribers would have this critical avenue of contact closed off to them. The same is true for any company or organization that offers services and products to families with children.
Protecting children is society's most basic responsibility. Measures that restrict mail to families, however, fail to protect children, while they cut off an important avenue of information. |
