Children's Advertising Review Unit

BBB National Programs Unveils New Guardrails for Child-Directed Advertising & Privacy in the Metaverse

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Online, Advertising, Food, Senior, COPPA, CARU, Federal Trade Commission, Policy, Privacy, BBB National Programs, Investment company, FTC, Children's Advertising Review Unit, Guideline, Toy, Dietary supplement, Online shopping, Metaverse

MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BBB National Programs' Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) today released new Guardrails for Child-Directed Advertising and Privacy in the Metaverse, developed by the BBB National Programs Metaverse Working Group, a convening of diverse well-respected global industry professionals representing toy, gaming, network, food, streaming, adtech, and mobile brands popular with children.

Key Points: 
  • MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BBB National Programs' Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) today released new Guardrails for Child-Directed Advertising and Privacy in the Metaverse, developed by the BBB National Programs Metaverse Working Group, a convening of diverse well-respected global industry professionals representing toy, gaming, network, food, streaming, adtech, and mobile brands popular with children.
  • The Metaverse Guardrails are a set of realistic, actionable recommendations and best practices intended to help companies to:
    Develop metaverse experiences directed to children;
    Comply with existing advertising and privacy law; and
    Engage responsibly with children online.
  • The Metaverse Guardrails encompass best practices and recommendations for how to be compliant in metaverse spaces:
    Be transparent.
  • "In the evolving metaverse space there is a real need for brands to tread cautiously, especially when it comes to safeguarding children," said Dona Fraser, Senior Vice President, Privacy Initiatives, BBB National Programs.

RegEd Named to 2023 RegTech 100 as Leading Innovator by FinTech Global

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
B2B, Children's Advertising Review Unit, Conflict, Mari Rege, Regulatory technology, COVID-19, Financial technology, ROI, Risk management, Research, Automation, Renewable energy, Audit

Raleigh, NC, Dec. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RegEd, the leading provider of regulatory compliance and credentialing solutions for the financial services industry, has announced that it has achieved placement in the 2023 RegTech 100 list .

Key Points: 
  • Raleigh, NC, Dec. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RegEd, the leading provider of regulatory compliance and credentialing solutions for the financial services industry, has announced that it has achieved placement in the 2023 RegTech 100 list .
  • The list, presented annually by FinTech Global, recognizes the most groundbreaking companies in the RegTech space.
  • "We are thrilled to be recognized as one of the leading innovators in our industry," said John M. Schobel, CEO & Founder of RegEd.
  • FinTech Global is the world’s leading provider of FinTech information services, B2B media products and industry events.

CARU Finds Tilting Point Media in Violation of COPPA and CARU's Advertising and Privacy Guidelines; Company Agrees to Corrective Actions

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Online, Advertising, Hegeler Carus Mansion, Tilting Point, ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, View, Human, Council, Disclosure, Children's Advertising Review Unit, Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, Collection, Policy, Pressure, Apple, Anxiety, Violence, NAD, App, Child, SpongeBob SquarePants, Multimedia, CARU, Privacy, Failure, Data collection, LLC, Adult, COPPA, Guideline, Online gambling, Mobile phone, Online shopping, Birth control

Upon receipt of CARU's inquiry, Tilting Point proactively implemented changes to address each of CARU's concerns regarding its advertising and privacy practices and continues to take other corrective actionsto address the remaining violations.

Key Points: 
  • Upon receipt of CARU's inquiry, Tilting Point proactively implemented changes to address each of CARU's concerns regarding its advertising and privacy practices and continues to take other corrective actionsto address the remaining violations.
  • The SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off app, featuring SpongeBob characters licensed by Viacom Media Networks, came to CARU's attention through its routine monitoring of child-directed content.
  • Update its privacy policy to align with COPPA and better reflect its data practices as a mixed-audience site.
  • Tilting Point proactively implemented changes to address each of CARU's concerns regarding its advertising and privacy practices.

Children's Advertising Review Unit Issues Compliance Warning for Child-Directed Advertising in the Metaverse

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Online, Internet, Advertising, Hegeler Carus Mansion, View, Federal Trade Commission, Council, Internet celebrity, Multimedia, Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914, Children's Advertising Review Unit, CARU, Privacy, Compliance, Confusion, Data collection, COPPA, Risk, Industry, FTC, Review, Guideline, Dietary supplement, Public relations

MCLEAN, Va., Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BBB National Programs' Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) today issued a new compliance warning regarding the application of CARU's Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children's Advertising to advertising practices directed to children in the metaverse.

Key Points: 
  • MCLEAN, Va., Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BBB National Programs' Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) today issued a new compliance warning regarding the application of CARU's Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children's Advertising to advertising practices directed to children in the metaverse.
  • CARU's Advertising Guidelines are widely recognized industry standards designed to assure that advertising directed to children is not deceptive, unfair, or inappropriate for its intended audience.
  • Per CARU's Advertising Guidelines, advertising directed to children cannot use manipulative tactics to induce children to view or interact with advertising or make in-game purchases.
  • In this compliance warning, CARU alerts industry to its enforcement priorities regarding advertising in the metaverse, as well as in augmented and virtual reality worlds.

Moose Toys Discontinues its Fail Fix Dolls Advertising to Comply with Children's Advertising Review Unit Guidelines on Negative Social Stereotypes

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Online, Hegeler Carus Mansion, Prejudice, Multimedia, Data collection, Dance, COPPA, Failure, NAD, YouTube, Children's Advertising Review Unit, Lists of record labels, CRAZY, Beauty, View, Skin, Child, Moose Toys, Council, Privacy, CARU, Hair, Advertising, Toy

CARU recommended that the advertiser modify its advertising, but Moose Toys informed CARU that it has discontinued marketing the dolls and agreed to remove all remaining advertising for them.

Key Points: 
  • CARU recommended that the advertiser modify its advertising, but Moose Toys informed CARU that it has discontinued marketing the dolls and agreed to remove all remaining advertising for them.
  • The Fail Fix Doll advertisements in question came to CARU's attention through its routine monitoring of child-directed advertising in the marketplace.
  • In Moose Toy advertisements and product packaging for Fail Fix Dolls, audio and visual elements depict a distraught animated doll with failed hair and makeup attempts.
  • Moose Toys has removed advertising for Fail Fix Dolls from the Moose Toys website and YouTube and is in the process of removing the challenged advertising from other platforms.

Children's Advertising Review Unit Finds Firefly Games in Violation of COPPA and CARU's Advertising and Privacy Guidelines; Company Agrees to Corrective Actions

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Online, MGA Entertainment, Child, View, Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, COPPA, Data collection, Council, Hegeler Carus Mansion, Disclosure, Violence, Privacy, Guideline, Collection, Advertising, LOL, Adult, NAD, Multimedia, Human, Policy, Review, Firefly, Method, SDK, Children's Advertising Review Unit, CARU, Pressure, Google, Anxiety, Online gambling, Online shopping, Mobile phone, Dietary supplement

Room Makeover app, in violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and CARU's Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Advertising and for Children's Online Privacy Protection.

Key Points: 
  • Room Makeover app, in violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and CARU's Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Advertising and for Children's Online Privacy Protection.
  • content, CARU determined that the Firefly Games app was a "mixed audience" child-directed app and as such is subject to COPPA and CARU's Guidelines.
  • Not only were the policies inconsistent with Firefly Games' actual practices, but they conflicted with one another in important respects.
  • Firefly Games collected coarse geolocation information, rather than precise geolocation information covered by COPPA, but that was not clear from its privacy policies.

Primark Modifies its Advertising to Comply with Children's Advertising Review Unit Guidelines

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 14, 2022
Online, Goal, Children's Advertising Review Unit, Clothing, Social media, Multimedia, Privacy, Advertising, COPPA, Stereotype, Council, View, CARU, Marianne Carus, Data collection, Prejudice, Intellectual, NAD, Dietary supplement, Public relations, Toy, Online shopping, Primark

CARU recommended that the advertiser modify its gender-restrictive advertising and Primark has agreed to the modifications.

Key Points: 
  • CARU recommended that the advertiser modify its gender-restrictive advertising and Primark has agreed to the modifications.
  • This case involves advertising messages on Primark children's clothing that CARU determined to be directed to children under age 13, making them subject to CARU's Advertising Guidelines.
  • The Primark advertisements in question, which appeared on the Primark website, on social media, and on in-store advertising came to CARU's attention through its routine monitoring of child-directed advertising in the marketplace.
  • About Children's Advertising Review Unit: TheChildren's Advertising Review Unit (CARU),a division of BBB National Programs andthe nation's first Safe Harbor Program under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), helps companies comply with laws and guidelines that protect children from deceptive or inappropriate advertising and ensure that, in an online environment, children's data is collected and handled responsibly.

Children's Advertising Review Unit Finds Outright Games in Violation of COPPA and CARU's Advertising and Privacy Guidelines; Company Agrees to Corrective Actions

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Online, Advertising, COPPA, Hegeler Carus Mansion, View, Pressure, Federal Trade Commission, Children's Advertising Review Unit, Anxiety, Collection, Guideline, Multimedia, Council, Outright, Trust, FTC, Privacy, MGA Entertainment, Violence, Bratz, Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, CARU, NAD, Child, Safety, Human, Social media, Data collection, Method, Online gambling, Toy, Mobile phone, Dietary supplement

The Bratz Makeover app, featuring Bratz characters licensed by MGA Entertainment, came to CARU's attention through its routine monitoring of child-directed content.

Key Points: 
  • The Bratz Makeover app, featuring Bratz characters licensed by MGA Entertainment, came to CARU's attention through its routine monitoring of child-directed content.
  • In addition, long-standing Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidance states that operators should use technical means to prevent children from back-buttoning to enter a different age.
  • Outright Games implemented an initial age screen, followed by a "parent gate" that looked identical to the initial age screen.
  • In addition, CARU determined that Outright Game's privacy notices failed to comply with COPPA and CARU's Privacy Guidelines due to unclear, incomplete, and at times contradictory language.

Children's Advertising Review Unit Recommends Jazwares Modify Misleading Ads and Product Packaging for Micro Machines; Company Agrees to Comply

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Online, Corvette, Children's Advertising Review Unit, NAD, Alleghany Corporation, CARU, Multimedia, Advertising, Adult, Privacy, Council, Language, COPPA, View, Review, Hegeler Carus Mansion, Data collection, Micro Machines, YouTube, Social media, Television, Online shopping, Dietary supplement

CARU also determined that Jazwares' Micro Machines Corvette video advertisement unrealistically depicted how the playset can perform.

Key Points: 
  • CARU also determined that Jazwares' Micro Machines Corvette video advertisement unrealistically depicted how the playset can perform.
  • The Jazwares advertisements and product packaging came to CARU's attention through its routine monitoring of child-directed advertising in the marketplace.
  • CARU assessed the TV and online advertisements as well as original product packaging for the products as provided by Jazwares.
  • Jazwares also indicated that it will update any future product packaging to comply with CARU's recommendations.

Children's Advertising Review Unit Recommends Moose Toys Include Disclosures and Adult Supervision in Gotta Go Turdle Ads; Company Agrees to Comply

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Online, YouTube, Children's Advertising Review Unit, Advertising, Language, NAD, Multimedia, Silicon, Risk, COPPA, Moose Toys, Television, Hegeler Carus Mansion, Adult, Child, Eye, Council, CARU, Nausea, Element, Parent, GOT, Eating, Privacy, View, Choking, Data collection, Toy, Dietary supplement, Online shopping

Watching the ad, children also may want to experiment with the Turdle food to make purple poops of their own.

Key Points: 
  • Watching the ad, children also may want to experiment with the Turdle food to make purple poops of their own.
  • CARU also determined that the ad failed to depict adult supervision of children playing with the Turdle.
  • Because no adult was shown in the ad, a reasonable takeaway is that adult supervision is not required when playing with the Gotta Go Turdle.
  • CARU determined that, given the risks associated with eating the Turdle food, adult supervision should be depicted in the commercial.