CARU 1974-2024 50th

Advancing Responsible Child-Directed Marketing & Privacy Practices for 50 Years

For the last 50 years, companies marketing to children have held each other to a higher standard. In response to a credible threat to advertising to children, in 1974 the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) was established as the U.S. mechanism of independent self-regulation for protecting children under age 13 from deceptive or inappropriate advertising.  

 

 

 

The History

 

 

 

1970

In the 1970s there was a credible threat to, if not an outright ban on, advertising to children. In efforts to severely curtail it, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) established a subcommittee to draft a code governing advertising directed at children.  

 

 

 

1974

The result was the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), established in May 1974, recognized by the FTC as the U.S. mechanism of independent self-regulation for children’s advertising, a system that has stood the test of time and technological innovation. 

 

 

 

1996

CARU’s Online Privacy Guidelines on protecting children’s data privacy online helped build the foundation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), enacted in 1998.

 

 

 

2001

In 2001, CARU became the first FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor Program, helping companies achieve their business goals while ensuring compliance with COPPA requirements. 

 

 

 

2010s

Between 2012-2014, CARU revised its guidelines to include provisions on online advertising, social media, mobile applications, in-game advertising, and other interactive features targeted at children. In 2018, CARU referred Musical.ly, today known as TikTok, to the FTC, which led to the landmark FTC case that resulted in the largest monetary settlement in a COPPA case.

 

 

About CARU

The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) helps companies comply with laws and guidelines that protect children under age 13 from deceptive or inappropriate advertising and ensure that, in an online environment, children's data is collected and handled responsibly.

 

CARU is the nation’s first Safe Harbor Program under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

 

About CARU

 

 

COPPA Safe Harbor Services
Put your trust in the first and longest-running COPPA Safe Harbor Program in the U.S.
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Pre-Screening Services
From concept to final cut, CARU’s pre-screening services help businesses and agencies spot and correct advertising and privacy issues before ads, contests, and promotional websites go live.
Learn More
Become a CARU Supporter
Join us to strengthen responsible child-directed marketing & privacy practices.
Lead the Charge
COPPA Safe Harbor Services
Put your trust in the first and longest-running COPPA Safe Harbor Program in the U.S.
Learn More
Pre-Screening Services
From concept to final cut, CARU’s pre-screening services help businesses and agencies spot and correct advertising and privacy issues before ads, contests, and promotional websites go live.
Learn More
Become a CARU Supporter
Join us to strengthen responsible child-directed marketing & privacy practices.
Lead the Charge

 

 

 

Become a CARU Supporter

Lead the charge. Strengthen responsible child-directed marketing and privacy practices. In CARU’s 50th year, CARU Supporters are invited to take a front-row seat in all of this year’s events and activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's frequently said that industry must choose between self-regulation and regulation, but they both have an important role to play. For the last 50 years in the children’s space, companies have held each other to a higher standard while complying with federal and state law, and continue, into CARU’s 50th year, to raise the bar for the protection of children.

 

 

Rukiya Bonner
Director, Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU)
BBB National Programs

 

 

CARU 50th Event Series

East Coast CARU Supporter Meeting

CARU Supporters, join us in New York City to reflect on the “evolution” of children’s advertising and privacy. At this meeting, we will discuss program and policy updates, what happens when legislatio ...
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Apr 17, 2024 Hybrid/New York, NY

CARU’s 50th Anniversary Reception

BBB National Programs will host a special reception in New York to celebrate 50 years of independent industry self-regulation in children's advertising and privacy.
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Apr 17, 2024 New York, NY

Summer CARU Supporter Meeting

During 2024, the 50th anniversary of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), we will celebrate the “evolution” of children’s advertising and privacy. In July, CARU Supporters will discuss progr ...
Learn more
Jul 17, 2024 Virtual

West Coast CARU Supporter Meeting

During 2024, the 50th anniversary of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), we will celebrate the “evolution” of children’s advertising and privacy. In October, CARU Supporters will discuss pr ...
Learn more
Oct 23, 2024 West Coast (TBD)

 

 

 

 

Thought Leadership

Blog

Warning: Use Caution with AI in the Children’s Space

Children are engaging with various forms of artificial intelligence (AI), a technology that can provide significant benefits that can be accompanied by a series of risks. The Children’s Advertising Review Unit compliance warning regarding the use of AI in practices directed to children reminds industry of its special responsibilities to children.
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Blog

Continuing to Evolve: the 10s, 20s, and the Future of CARU

The confluence of social media, apps, and digital advertising in the 2010s and 2020s generated new issues that inspired multiple revisions to CARU's Guidelines as well as compliance warnings to address new platforms breaking onto the scene.
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Blog

CARU in the 90s and 00s: Privacy & the Internet

The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) Privacy Guidelines helped form the foundation of COPPA. The arrival of Y2K brought with it an accelerated pivot from traditional advertising to online advertising and experiences, and new challenges in privacy compliance. Read about CARU's notable cases in children’s data privacy.
Read more
Blog

The Evolution of CARU: Laying the Foundation in the 70s and 80s

For the last 50 years, companies marketing to children have held each other to a high ethical standard. The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) was established in 1974 as the U.S. mechanism of independent self-regulation for protecting children from deceptive or inappropriate advertising. Spanning decades, CARU’s early cases reflect the evolution of the children’s advertising and marketing space.
Read more

 

 

 

Supporting CARU’s 50th Year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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