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In my last blog post, I talked about the quandary of raising a young girl in today's toxic climate of Britney-Paris-Lindsay. But am I over-reacting? How much impact does the media have on our daughters (and sons for that matter)? Are kids really influenced by the "girls gone bad"?

Well, just so happens that I got my hands on the newly released report from the American Psychological Association (APA) on The Sexualization of Girls, which explores this very topic.

In particular, the report examines how the "sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media" is harming girls' "self-image and healthy development." It explores the "consequences for mental and physical health," and the impact on girls' "development of a healthy sexual self-image."

Bottom line: studies show that these images in the media CAN hurt girls.

Thankfully, it offers some suggestions on what parents and teachers can do.

First, the report recommends that parents can counteract these negative influences by focusing on what girls can do, not what they look like. This one, I think is hard even for parents of toddlers. When my daughter Annie is wearing a new pair of cute shoes, does she get attention! From everyone: teachers, friends, grandparents, strangers.

Next, the report recommends that from an early age parents of boys can teach them to "value girls as friends, sisters, and girlfriends, rather than as sexual objects." Hmmm, this one too is tough. I don't about your kid's preschool, but at mine the girls loooove to dress up in the dress up corner. The more outlandish, the better. Princesses, brides, ballerinas, princess-brides. And they get a LOT of attention as they prance around the classroom. My daughter has been "married" several times to several different buddies at school. Did you have a good day at school, sweetheart? Yes, I married Ian today. Great.

The third thing the report recommends parents and teachers can do: teach media literacy skills. The authors argue that adults can help kids be critical of the messages they receive from TV and movies. I took Critical Media Literacy in grad school, and I still may need some specifics on how exactly to do this with a 4-year-old.

Lastly, one of the most important ways girls can resist early sexualization is by participating in sports. But not every type of sport. Team sports are more beneficial than individual activities like ice-skating and ballet. This should make soccer moms rejoice. At least those hours spent at games are helping your daughters' self-esteem!