How Tween Girls Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Corporations

The Tween Girl Summit: everything from Disney stars to talking about boys (ew!)

By CARISSA DIMARGO

Updated 1:54 PM EDT, Tue, Oct 13, 2009

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Tween girls face a lot of issues these days, but nothing that a Radio Disney concert can't solve. Intrepid female kiddos attended first annual Tween Girl Summit Saturday at the Capital Hilton, and the Washington Post is quick to point out that kids are more innocent than hyperventilating parents generally believe, at least when it comes to "sexting":

"Ew," says Angelique Gaston, 14, delivering a perfect eye-roll on Saturday. "That isn't what we're doing. The media bases ev-er-y-thing on sexuality."

Damn that media!

"Sexting is what we see on TV," says Kiley Krzyrzek, also 14. "I guess some people might try it..."

She's pretty sure that the tweens who try sexting learned about it from the shows teaching parents how to prevent their tweens from learning about sexting.

Oh, parents, don't they know ANYTHING?

The summit included panels on Important Tween Issues like self-esteem, schools and (ewwwww) boys. And if there's anything kids love, it's having to explain themselves repeatedly to concerned adults, so you just know this event was a good time had by all.

The "Listening Panel" included "accomplished people in the world of leadership, politics, education, media and more." The Web site does not actually define who those people might be, but then again, how many world leaders could you name at the age of 10? How about the name of the advice columnist in YM? Yeah, we thought so.

Your first inclination might be the the summit was geared to fleece unsuspecting parents out of a couple hundred bucks (or hey, maybe that was just us) but shockingly enough, the whole thing down to the swag bags was gratis -- thanks to their generous corporate sponsors, of course!

A two-hour concert featured acts that any self-respecting 20-something probably hasn't heard of, like Debby Ryan (who has her own Disney Channel show), the Comic Book Heroes (of Radio Disney, uh, "fame") and -- OK, we'll allow this -- "American Idol" finalist Brooke White.

Just remember, folks, if it didn't come from a huge corporation, the kids today just won't think it's cool. But at least they claim to be perfectly innocent about sexting (and the country breathes a collective sigh of relief).