Jim Steyer has spent more than 20 years as one of the most respected experts and entrepreneurs on issues related to children's policy and media in the United States. As CEO, he is responsible for the overall leadership of Common Sense Media, the nation's leading non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the media lives of kids and families.
Prior to founding Common Sense, Mr. Steyer was Chairman and CEO of JP Kids, a respected family media company. Before that, he served as President of Children Now, a leading national advocacy and media organization for children, which he founded in 1988. Jim began his career as an elementary school teacher and then became a public interest lawyer. He served as a law clerk for the California Supreme Court, as a Deputy District Attorney and as a civil rights attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

In addition to his duties at Common Sense Media, Jim teaches popular courses on Civil Rights, Civil Liberties and children's issues at Stanford University, where he has taught for the past nineteen years. During that period, he has received a number of Stanford's highest teaching honors. Jim is also the author of the widely acclaimed book, The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media's Effect on Our Children, which draws upon his extensive experience as a leading child advocate, educational media expert, and Dad.

Over the past decade, Mr. Steyer has appeared regularly on a variety of national television and radio programs, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah, CNN, The O'Reilly Factor, and Larry King. He hosts a regular weekly segment on "Kids and the Media" on CBS-5 TV in San Francisco, and his work has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal.

Jim grew up in New York City and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University. He received his JD from Stanford Law School, where he was founder of the East Palo Alto Community Law Project. Jim is the father of four children, Lily, Kirk, Carly and Jesse and lives with his family in the Bay Area

Blog Entries by Jim Steyer

Summer Warning to Parents: iPods + MySpace + TV + Video Games + Cell Phones + Tivo = Weight Gain for Kids

Posted May 28, 2007 | 10:11 AM (EST)


Parents probably don't need any reminding, but summer is practically here -- and with it will come hours of free time for kids.

In a world where kids already spend an average of 45 hours per week with the media -- more than twice as much time as they spend...

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It's Time to Go Beyond Primetime

Posted February 6, 2007 | 12:29 PM (EST)


"At the end of the day, it's about building a constructive conversation and not just a one-time discussion." These were my opening remarks last night as we convened the Beyond Primetime conference being co-hosted by Common Sense Media and the Aspen Institute at the Time Warner Center in New York....

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Kids' Overuse of Media Now Seen as #1 Health Concern for Parents

Posted February 5, 2007 | 04:04 PM (EST)


Media beats out school problems, alcohol and smoking.

Kids now spend more time in the electronic media world today than they're spending at school or with their parents. So who's really influencing their physical, social, and emotional development?

In a new national survey conducted here at Common Sense Media last...

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The Internet Now Seen as #1 Media Concern for Parents

Posted June 9, 2006 | 07:26 PM (EST)


When it comes to kids and their media, parents feel completely conflicted.

Parents say they worry about what's on TV, yet 2/3 of their kids have sets in their rooms. Parents worry about age-inappropriate content, yet almost no one uses the V-Chip and few use content filters.

This polarity now...

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