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A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Josh Golin (617.278.4172; jgolin@jbcc.harvard.edu)   

CCFC Praises Landmark South Carolina School Bus Ad Ban

Yesterday, the South Carolina State
Board of Education voted to prohibit ads on schools buses. South Carolina is the
first state to declare school buses off limits to all forms of marketing.
The following is the statement of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
about this historic decision:

SOUTH CAROLINA

Yesterday, the South Carolina State
Board of Education voted to prohibit ads on schools buses. South Carolina is the
first state to declare school buses off limits to all forms of marketing.
The following is the statement of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
about this historic decision:

By banning school bus ads, the South Carolina State Board of Education
has sent a strong message that their students are not for sale. The board
has rightly recognized that advertising on school buses exploits a captive
audience of children who are particularly vulnerable to marketing's
harmful effects.

The Board's decision means that there will be no ads on the
inside or exterior of school buses. It also means no BusRadio, the
company that hopes to use school buses to force children to listen to its
commercialized, student-targeted radio broadcasts. Thanks to the Board, South Carolina school
buses will provide a much needed haven from the commercialism that infiltrates
nearly every aspect of children's lives today.

We salute Board Chairman Al Simpson and the rest of the board for their
leadership and determination in the face of opposition from those who hope to
exploit students for profit.* We also commend State Senator Greg Ryberg
for his commitment to children and for first proposing the idea of
commercial-free South Carolina school buses.

*BusRadio hired Kenneth Kinard, Jason Puhlasky, Graham Tew, and Warren
Tompkins to lobby on their behalf in South
Carolina. https://www.scstatehouse.net/reports/NonStateLobbAug192008.pdf.

Fairplay, formerly known as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, educates the public about commercialism's impact on kids' wellbeing and advocates for the end of child-targeted marketing. Fairplay organizes parents to hold corporations accountable for their marketing practices, advocates for policies to protect kids, and works with parents and professionals to reduce children's screen time.