Photo credit: Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has been on a mission to end the commercial exploitation of children for almost ten years. Comprised of parents, educators, health professionals and advocacy groups, the Boston-based national coalition has announced a recent victory in its pursuit to "reclaim childhood" and limit corporate marketers access to children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO screen time for children under the age of two but despite this, the popularity of the Baby Einstein videos is undeniable and their target market: kids under two. The Baby Einstein company respects the AAP recommendation but feels it does not accurately represent modern parenting.
The CCFC disagrees and in early 2006 the coalition filed a complaint with the FTC claiming deceptive marketing practices and false developmental and educational claims. Baby Einstein immediately altered its website in response to the complaint and agreed to take additional steps to ensure the educational accuracy of future claims are adequately substantiated.
"We are hopeful that the voluntary modifications we made to our Web site and three of our DVD packages will help clarify what Baby Einstein is all about," said a news-release.
This was not good enough for the CCFC, they wanted parents to be compensated. "The brand has been built on years of deceptive marketing that people associate ... as being educational," said Josh Golin, associate director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.
Due to continued pressure from members of the CCFC, the Walt Disney Company is now offering a full refund to anyone who purchased a Baby Einstein video in the past five years. This is a stunning victory and an important marker in the CCFC’s ongoing campaign to stop the false and deceptive marketing of baby videos.
For more info: The refund is only available for a limited time. Please visit Baby Einstein for complete instructions on how to file your claim by March 4, 2010.
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