Whereas, Girls are a major consumer of media and daily engage in receiving media messages. Media is defined as music, television shows, commercials/advertisements, websites, magazines, video games, movies, and consumer products not otherwise specified; and

Whereas, Exposure to sexualized female ideals correlate to lower self-esteem, depressed mood, and eating disorders in young females; and

Whereas, Identification with a television star and or a model positively correlates to body dissatisfaction in adolescent females; and

Whereas, A large proportion of girls believe they need to lose weight starting as early as age 10, and the vast majority of girls are unhappy with their bodies by the age of 17; and

Whereas: Parents, peers, and schools play a major role in self-esteem development of girls; therefore be it

Resolved, That National PTA and its constituent associations will encourage the education of parents on the impact of media on the self-esteem development in young girls; and be it further

Resolved, That National PTA and its constituent associations will work with business and education leaders to develop and publish guidelines on reasonable limits on media exposure, outside of academic use, in schools, and be it further

Resolved, That National PTA and its constituent associations will be encouraged to provide convocations that support the self-esteem development of all students particularly in the areas of realistic body images and embracing differences; and be it further

Resolved:, That National PTA and its constituent associations will encourage development of additional education materials to address the areas of self-esteem and body image in health curricula, and the area of media literacy to help girls master effective strategies for consuming messages across multiple media.

Disclaimer: This resolution was adopted by the delegates at the 2014 National PTA Annual Convention, and subsequently ratified by the National PTA Board of Directors, on June 22, 2014.