Ion Media and Litton Media are among the newest supporters, and the first broadcaster and broadcast content producer supporters, of a bill, the Children and Media Research Advancement (CAMRA) Act, that would get the National Institutes of Health to study the impact of media and technology on children's "cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development."
That is according to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), backer of the CAMRA Act and author of the Children's Television Act and Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. A companion bill to CAMRA has been introduced in the House.
CAMAR was introduced in February. Among those companies already supporting the bill, according to Markey's office, are Charter, Amazon, Google, Apple, and Facebook.
Ion and Litton were among a list of four new supporters--Microsoft, Lego were the others--that have recently endorsed the bill.
“We want to thank Senator Markey for proposing Children and Media Research Advancement (CAMRA) Act for the well-being of our children,” said Ion Media chair Brandon Burgess. “Our endorsement of CAMRA is consistent with our mission to provide a safe and educational viewing destination for children with our free over-the-air television network, Qubo.”
“I commend and thank Microsoft, Ion Media, Lego, and Litton Entertainment for joining the diverse chorus of support the CAMRA Act, which will help parents and policymakers alike understand the cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional impacts of technology on kids.
Under the bill, NIH would get $65 million through 2024 for the study.
