CSM has played a role in influencing billions of dollars in government spending on education-related technologies including classroom broadband access and various learning apps.
Online privacy CSM supported the U.S. Department of Commerce's creation of an "online privacy policy", which would include a "Privacy Bill of Rights" and would make clear which types of personal information companies are allowed to keep on clients. It has also called for updates to the
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rules to ensure that they keep pace with changes in
technology since the law was passed in 1998 – as documented by the organization in a report to the Federal Trade Commission as part of a review of the law. The organization also helped
Massachusetts Representative
Edward Markey and Texas Representative
Joe Barton draft legislation that required websites aimed at children under 13 to obtain parental permission before collecting personal information. According to
The Wall Street Journal, the group also wanted websites to feature an "eraser button" that would allow children and teens to delete information that they've posted online about themselves. The group also favored a ban on "behavioral marketing" to children—ads targeted at children based on their online activities. In 2013, CSM pushed for the passing of California's "Eraser Bill". In 2014, they advocated the passing of California Senate Bill 1177, which prohibits the sale and disclosure of schools' online student data. The bill also forbids targeted ads based on school information and the creation of student profiles when not used for education purposes. As of January 2015, social media websites must allow California children under age 18 to remove their own postings. In 2018, CSM advocated for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). CSM also endorsed the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), a ballot measure to protect the privacy rights of California consumers and increase penalties on corporations that fail to protect children's privacy.
Platform accountability CSM supported Stop Hate for Profit, a boycott where advertisers were asked to pull their ads from
Facebook in response to the platform's spread of misinformation and hate speech. In July 2020, more than 500 companies joined the boycott, including
Adidas,
Coca-Cola, and
Unilever. Founder
Jim Steyer launched the Future of Tech Commission with former
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and former
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. The commission will develop a tech policy agenda for the Biden administration.
Violent video games CSM played a major role in the passage of the 2005 California law criminalizing the sale of violent
video games to minors. The organization submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court regarding the case
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (formerly
Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association). They published a survey, conducted by Zogby International, which asked 2100 parents whether or not they supported the "video game ban bill" – CA Law AB 1793; results showed that 72% of the respondents expressed support for the bill, and another 75% held negative views of the video game industry when it comes to how they protect children from violent video games. On August 12, 2006, CSM protested to the
Federal Trade Commission about the ESRB's rating downgrade of a revised version of
Manhunt 2 from "Adults Only" to "Mature". It protested on the basis that the revised version of the game, which was censored to prevent the game from remaining banned in both countries, was still banned in the UK via the ratings given by the
British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). They also noted that players could still play a "leaked uncensored version" of
Manhunt 2 on modded
PlayStation 2, as Take-Two Interactive mentioned. The organization asked the FTC to launch a federal investigation into the ESRB rating process, citing the wide availability of the leaked version and the damage to children that the censored version still had. Questioning whether CSM had begun functioning as a lobbying group rather than advocacy group, the
Los Angeles Times called the organization "one of the most zealous voices when it comes to encouraging state legislation limiting the sale of ultra-violent games to minors" and was "splitting hairs" regarding the difference between lobbying and advocacy in its efforts. In June 2006, CSM and The Department of Clinical Bioethics at the
National Institutes of Health released a
white paper that outlines the ways that media exposure can impact children's health. The paper evaluated 173 media-related studies from the past 28 years and concluded that "In 80% of the studies, greater media exposure is associated with negative health outcomes for children and adolescents." In October 2006, the organization released a white paper compiled from existing research on body image perceptions in children and teens. The paper states more than half of boys as young as 6 to 8 think their ideal weight is thinner than their current size and that children with parents who are dissatisfied with their bodies are more likely to feel that way about their own. In April 2015, they launched the national advocacy effort, Common Sense Kids Action, to advocate for certain state and federal efforts to bolster education for children. CSM released a PSA with
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in 2017 called Device Free Dinner which featured
Will Ferrell as a distracted father at the dinner table, in order to raise awareness for responsible technology and media usage. CSM is an endorser of the
SUCCESS Act, introduced to the
House in July 2021. CSM partnered with ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners in 2021 to encourage low-income families to claim money due to them through the newly-improved
Child Tax Credit—as much as $3,600 per child in an eligible family for one year. In 2023, CSM partnered with the
Dove Self-Esteem Project to advance revisions of the Kids Online Safety Act, a federal bill that supports design standards and safeguards to protect children online. CSM is also an endorser of the
Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) as well as the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act, introduced to the
United States Senate in January 2024. This legislation provides $7 billion for ACP, which provides affordable high-speed internet access to households across the country. In June 2024, CSM endorsed the
SAFE For Kids Act, which is a New York law that bans "addictive" feeds for minors under the age of 18 without parental consent. CSM endorsed the act, stating that it would improve mental health for minors as well as "reel in big tech". ==Research==