Children’s Advertising Review Unit
Program Impact
Monitoring and Enforcement
CARU monitors child-directed media to ensure that advertising is truthful, accurate, appropriate, and compliant with its self-regulatory guidelines, and that online marketing is compliant with both the CARU guidelines and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”).Pre-Screening Service
From concept to final cut, CARU’s pre-screening services help businesses and agencies spot and correct problems before ads and promotional websites go live. Take advantage of our one-on-one support as you navigate COPPA and CARU compliance.COPPA Safe Harbor Services
CARU is the first FTC-approved Safe Harbor Program under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and can help your company achieve its business goals while ensuring compliance with COPPA requirements, other applicable online data privacy laws, and CARU’s guidelines.Guidelines & Procedures
CARU leads the development and ongoing management of advertising guidelines for children under age 13. To help businesses and advertisers, CARU provides education, one-on-one support, and legal guidance on:
- How to be compliant in the delivery of everything from digital ads to product packaging
- The art of delivering for an impressionable and vulnerable child audience
- Children’s privacy, unique to digital content and data collection for children under age 13 (these guidelines reflect changes in COPPA)
- How to approach product presentations, appropriate disclosures, sweepstakes and contests, safety, endorsements, and sales pressure
August 2022 Compliance Warning: Advertising Practices in the Metaverse
Guardrails for the Child-Directed Metaverse
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The Guardrails for Child-Directed Advertising and Privacy in the Metaverse, developed by the BBB National Programs Metaverse Working Group, 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.
News & Blog
Children’s Advertising Review Unit Finds Roblox in Violation of Its Advertising Guidelines; Recommends Modifications and Compliance Monitoring
McLean, VA – May 12, 2023 – The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) has found Roblox in violation of CARU Advertising Guidelines for responsible advertising to children under age 13. This case also reviewed privacy concerns that will be addressed with Roblox's COPPA Safe Harbor.
CARU Finds Gameloft’s Disney Getaway Blast App in Violation of COPPA and CARU’s Advertising and Privacy Guidelines; Gameloft Agrees to Corrective Actions
McLean, VA – November 1, 2022 – The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) has found Gameloft S.A. 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. Upon receipt...
A Not-So-Sweet Sixteen? Teen Online Privacy and Safety Faces New Policy Dilemmas
A Cool Sweepstakes Can Get You in Hot Water
BBB National Programs provides summaries of all case decisions in the Case Decision Summary library. For the full text of National Advertising Division, National Advertising Review Board, and Children’s Advertising Review Unit decisions, subscribe to the Online Archive. For members of the press, the full text of any BBB National Programs decision is available by emailing the request to press@bbbnp.org.
Upcoming Events
2023 ACC Annual Meeting
CARU Supporters
CARU Supporters have access to benefits and resources including:
Access to CARU experts to answer your questions about advertising and privacy issues directed to children
Complimentary advertising pre-screening and guidance from expert staff
Invitation to the annual Supporters’ Council Meeting to discuss industry challenge
Interested in more information about becoming a CARU Supporter? Contact our National Partners team to learn how.