Parents’ rights group introduces warning tool

A parental rights advocacy group has launched a new tool to alert parents to the latest events, trends and agendas in schools that may be aimed at influencing their children.

The American Parents Coalition (APC) announced the release of The Lookout this week.

Lookout’s first warning was about a pro-LGBTQ school book fair flyer that promoted “resources for educators, caregivers, and advocates to support LBGTQIA+ youth and books.” According to APC, the materials include a “Read with Pride Resource Guide” with a reading list and a glossary defining terms related to sexual orientation and gender.

APC was founded in March by Alleigh Marré, a mother of three and former spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration. According to a press release, the organization’s mission is to “put parents back in the driver’s seat through policy action, local and community engagement, and demands for greater transparency from the institutions that influence our children.”

Marré is currently the organization’s executive director. In a statement, she described what prompted her to found APC:

“Parents across our country are under fire, constantly battling with corporate interests, activists and institutions seeking to usurp our parental authority. From family outings to school trips to doctor’s visits, our children are more at risk than ever of exposure to malicious political agendas and inappropriate situations.”

APC’s first step was to launch a multimillion-dollar campaign called “TikTok is Toxic.”

“TikTok is supported by the Chinese Communist Party, lacks adequate parental controls for minors, promotes content that glorifies suicide and eating disorders to young viewers, and uses addictive algorithms to promote dangerous and inappropriate content – all while collecting large amounts of personal data from its users, including minors,” the APC wrote in a press release.

In addition to numerous resources on potentially harmful social media trends, studies on the impact of social media, and more, the organization helps parents block the app on their children’s devices.

As covered by The Dallas ExpressByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is fighting against the law recently passed by Congress that requires the app to be divested or face a nationwide ban.

The US state of Texas is considering legally restricting minors’ access to social media. A possible model is Florida’s recent law, which prohibits children under 14 from maintaining an account without parental consent.