BBB National Programs Decisions

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  • 5/27/2021 - Children’s Advertising Review Unit Recommends IMC Toys Include “Non-Edible” Disclosure in Cry Babies Magic Tears Tutti Frutti Doll Advertisement

    New York, NY – May 27, 2021 – The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) recommended that IMC Toys USA Inc. modify its television advertisement promoting the Cry Babies Magic Tears Tutti Frutti doll to include a clear and conspicuous disclosure that children should not consume the jell-like substance produced by the doll. CARU also recommended that future advertisements not refer to the tears as jelly. IMC Toys has informed CARU that the ad is no longer running and that it will not run in the current format again. 

  • 4/28/2021 - Children’s Advertising Review Unit Determines Development Platform Unity Did Not Have Actual Knowledge of Ad SDK Data Collection in Child-Directed Apps

    McLean, VA – April 28, 2021 – The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), a division of BBB National Programs, determined that Unity Technologies did not have actual knowledge, as defined by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and CARU’s Guidelines for Online Privacy Protection, that the company’s advertising software developer kit (Ads SDK) was collecting persistent identifiers from child-targeted apps Number Coloring and Cats and Cosplay. Initially brought to CARU’s attention through an investigation conducted by the International Digital Accountability Council (IDAC), Unity is a software platform that provides solutions to create, run, and monetize interactive real-time 2D and 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices.   

  • 3/09/2021 - Two of BBB National Programs’ Self-Regulatory Watchdogs Bring Azerion Gaming Website and App into Compliance with Privacy Best Practices

    McLean, VA – March 9, 2021 – Two self-regulatory watchdog units of BBB National Programs, the Digital Advertising Accountability Program (DAAP) and the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), today released the result of a new data privacy case for the children’s gaming site Girls Go Games and the mobile app My Dolphin Show. Azerion, the publisher of Girls Go Games and My Dolphin Show, worked with DAAP and CARU to bring its online services into compliance with the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Principles for privacy and interest-based advertising, and CARU’s Advertising Guidelines, respectively.  

  • 1/21/2021 - Children’s Advertising Review Unit Determines that Visual Supply Company App Is Not “Directed Primarily or Secondarily to Children”

    New York, NY – January 21, 2021 – The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) determined that Visual Supply Company (VSCO) is not an online service directed primarily or secondarily to children under age 13 as defined by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and CARU’s own Guidelines for Online Privacy Protection. Identified during CARU’s routine monitoring program of child-directed content, VSCO markets a social media and photo editor app that has become well known to teens and tweens for the “VSCO girl” trend across several social media platforms.  

  • 10/06/2020 - CARU Determines Social Media Platform Discord Complies with COPPA and CARU Guidelines with Proper Protections for Children Under 13

    New York, NY – October 6, 2020 – The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), a division of BBB National Programs, determined that Discord Inc. is not an online service directed to children as defined by Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and CARU’s Guidelines for Online Privacy Protection.  

  • 8/12/2020 - CARU Recommends MilkPEP Modify Child-Directed Advertisement to Meet Safety Guidelines for Children Under 12

    The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), a division of BBB National Programs, determined that a television advertisement to promote America’s Milk Companies produced by the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board (MilkPep) did not comply with CARU’s safety guidelines. As a result, CARU recommended that MilkPEP discontinue the ad, which appeared during children’s programming, or modify it to include proper representation of safety gear.