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Rein in baby video marketing: consumer group
May 2, 2006
Companies are deceiving the public with the marketing and advertising of so-called "educational toys," a consumer group in the U.S. says.
Campaign
for a Commercial-Free Childhood has
filed a complaint to
the Federal Trade
Commission against Baby
Einstein and Brainy
Baby, two of the leading producers of videos
for infants and toddlers, for false and
deceptive advertising.
related Marketplace story: Bringing
Up Brainy
The group says the companies' branding, advertising
and websites mislead parents and exploit
their desire for what's best for their children.
"Companies such as Baby Einstein and Brainy
Baby have capitalized on parents' desires
to give their very young children a leg
up on learning and development by deceptively and falsely marketing
their videos as educational and beneficial for infant development," says
the complaint.
"These claims are deceptive because no [supporting]
research or evidence exists [and] preliminary
research suggests that television is a poor
tool for educating very young children."
The group also asks that the companies' advertisements,
packaging and websites for all baby videos prominently display the
American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) recommendation of no screen
time for children under two.
via: Advertising Age
related Marketplace story: Bringing Up
Brainy
related Marketplace murmurs: Dissecting
the advertising onslaught on the young, Kids
spend more time with media that adults spend at work: study
murmur categories: advertising, kids, logos/branding, activism
tags:
consumers consumer news consumerism advertising children education media parenting research
posted by Tessa | 10:35 AM
(ET) | Permalink
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