Jim Steyer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Steyer
Steyer in 2024
Born	James Pearson Steyer 1956 (age 68–69) New York City, U.S.
Education	Stanford University (BA, JD)
Years active	1988–present
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Liz Butler
Children	4
Family	Tom Steyer (brother)

James Pearson Steyer (born in 1956) is an American lawyer, professor, and author who works to protect children in the digital world. He is best known for starting Common Sense Media. This organization helps families understand and use technology and media safely.

Jim Steyer's Early Life and Education

Jim Steyer was born in New York City in 1956. His mother was a teacher who helped students with reading, and his father was a lawyer. Jim was greatly inspired by his mother, who sometimes took him to her classes. A friend once said that Jim's focus on helping kids came from his close relationship with his mother.

Steyer finished high school early at Phillips Exeter Academy. He then worked with his mother, teaching reading at a public school in Harlem. He later went to Stanford University, where he studied American Government. After college, he spent two years doing community work in Asia.

He then attended Stanford Law School, graduating in 1983. While there, he helped create a non-profit legal center for low-income families. After law school, he worked as a civil rights attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Here, he helped create programs to support disadvantaged African Americans.

Jim Steyer's Career and Work

For 35 years, Jim Steyer has taught classes at Stanford University. His courses cover topics like political science, education, and civil rights. Some of his famous former students include Senator Cory Booker and Chelsea Clinton.

Writing Books for Families

Steyer has written three books that help families understand media and technology:

• The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media's Effect on our Children (2002): This book looks at how media and government rules affect children.
• Talking Back to Facebook: The Common Sense Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Age (2012): This guide helps parents raise children in the digital age.
• Which Side of History: How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy & Our Lives (2021): This book explores how technology is changing our lives and democracy.

Starting Organizations to Help Kids

In 1988, Steyer started his first group to help children, called Children Now. This group worked to make sure TV channels showed at least three hours of educational children's programs each week. They also published "report cards" on the well-being of children in California. These reports showed important facts, like how many children lacked health insurance.

In 1996, Steyer started JP Kids. This company created high-quality educational TV shows for children, such as The Famous Jett Jackson for the Disney Channel. JP Kids also offered an online space where teens could share their thoughts and discuss important topics.

In 2010, Stanford University gave Steyer their highest teaching award, the Walter J. Gores Award. In 2011, he helped create the Center for the Next Generation. This group works to influence public discussions about issues affecting children and energy.

When Google announced in 2012 that it would collect data about users across its many sites, Steyer spoke out. He said that users, especially kids and teens, should be able to choose not to have their data tracked. In 2012, the Department of Education and the F.C.C. asked Steyer to lead a commission focused on improving digital tools and learning materials in schools. He also worked with Hillary Clinton on an initiative called "Too Small to Fail."

In 2016, Steyer was recognized as one of the most influential people in education technology. That same year, he launched the Common Sense Kids campaign. This campaign aims to bring more attention to children's issues in politics.

Steyer continues to lead a course at Stanford, where he invites important guest speakers like Condoleezza Rice and Thomas Friedman.

The Future of Tech Commission

In April 2021, Steyer launched the Future of Tech Commission. He co-chairs this group with former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. The commission's goal is to find solutions for a complete technology policy plan for the U.S. government. This plan will cover topics like privacy, fair competition, digital access for everyone, and how online platforms are held responsible for their content.

Common Sense Media

Jim Steyer founded Common Sense Media in 2003. This non-profit organization focuses on how media and technology affect young people. Steyer describes their work as "nutritional labeling of media," helping families understand what they are consuming.

Common Sense Media provides information to over 100 million homes in the U.S. They partner with many companies like Comcast, Netflix, Google, and Nickelodeon. Steyer's advice and reviews reach millions of parents each month. Common Sense Media helps parents and children find content that is safe and appropriate for younger audiences.

In December 2021, Steyer stated that Common Sense Media had 1.2 million registered teacher members. Their educational programs, which teach digital literacy and citizenship, are used in over 90,000 schools across the U.S.

In March 2012, the documentary film Bully was released. Common Sense Media gave it a "Pause 13+" rating, which allowed viewers under 17 to see the film with a signed permission slip.

In 2023, Steyer spoke at South by Southwest (SXSW) about how teens feel about social media. He also spoke at the 2023 Aspen Ideas Festival. In January 2024, the first annual Common Sense Summit on America’s Kids and Families was held, featuring speakers like Dr. Vivek Murthy and Hillary Clinton.

Protecting Privacy Online

Jim Steyer has been a strong supporter of online privacy for children.

In 2014, he supported California's "Eraser Bill." This law allows children under 18 in California to remove their own posts from social media websites. That same year, he called the passage of California Senate Bill 1177 "a big win for kids." This bill stops schools from selling or sharing students' online data. It also prevents targeted ads based on school information and stops the creation of student profiles unless they are for educational purposes.

In 2016, Common Sense Media launched Common Sense Legislative Ratings. This effort highlights laws that would help children and exposes those that could harm them. Common Sense Media also supported the U.S. Department of Commerce's idea for an "online privacy policy" that would include a "Privacy Bill of Rights." This would make it clear what personal information companies are allowed to keep about their users.

Steyer has also called for updates to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). He noted that when the act was created, platforms like Google, YouTube, and Facebook did not exist. In 2018, Steyer wrote that California families deserve to know how their personal information is used.

Common Sense Media and Steyer supported the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. This law gives new data privacy rights to consumers in California, with extra protections for kids under 16. The law took effect in 2020. They also supported California Proposition 24 in 2020, which further strengthened consumer privacy rights.

In 2018, Steyer joined with former Google employee Tristan Harris and Facebook investor Roger McNamee for the "Truth About Tech" campaign. The Wall Street Journal called them "The New Tech Avengers" for holding the tech industry accountable on privacy and addiction.

In September 2020, Steyer was named one of the 25 members of the "Real Facebook Oversight Board." This is an independent group that monitors Facebook.

Personal Life

Jim Steyer lives in the Bay Area with his wife, Liz Butler, and their four children. His wife is the Director of the California Institute on Law, Neuroscience and Education. Before this, she worked with programs that helped student athletes and provided legal services for children.