Children's Advertising Review Unit - Advertising to Children

Children’s Advertising Review Unit

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).

Program Impact

CARU was established in 1974 to support self-regulation in the advertising industry and promote responsible advertising to children. The results of CARU’s work is available to the public.

 

 

Monitoring and Enforcement

CARU monitors all child-directed media to ensure that marketing and data collection and management practices are compliant with CARU’s self-regulatory advertising and privacy guidelines.

Pre-Screening Service

From concept to final cut, CARU provides pre-screen services to help businesses and agencies spot and correct advertising and privacy issues before ads, contests, and promotional websites go live.

COPPA Safe Harbor Services

CARU is the first FTC-approved Safe Harbor Program under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), helping companies achieve business goals while ensuring COPPA compliance.

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

 

 

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. 

 

Read the Press Release

 

 

Access the Guardrails

 

 

 

News & Blog

Decision

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. 

Read the Decision Summary
Decision

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...

Read the Decision Summary
Blog

Comment to NTIA on Youth Mental Health, Safety, and Privacy Online

BBB National Programs responded to the NTIA request for comment to gather feedback on protecting minors’ mental health, safety, and privacy online.
Read more
Blog

A Not-So-Sweet Sixteen? Teen Online Privacy and Safety Faces New Policy Dilemmas

Pop culture powerhouse Barbie teaches us that corporations can have a long-lasting impact on children and teens, and the FTC seems to agree, adopting an aggressive stance on children’s and teen privacy in the last few months. We break down what this means for companies in looking to engage a child or teen audience.
Read more

 

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

Future of Privacy Forum Immersive Tech Panel: Kids and Teens

Dona Fraser, Senior Vice President, Privacy Initiatives, BBB National Programs will discuss the privacy and safety landscape when designing immersive spaces for kids and teens
Learn more
Dec 06, 2023 Virtual

2023 Metaverse Safety Week Global Roundtable

Dona Fraser, Senior Vice President, Privacy Initiatives, BBB National Programs will participate in the Safeguarding the Young Generation in the AI-Augmented Worlds Global Roundtable
Learn more
Dec 12, 2023 Virtual
 

 

 

CARU Supporters

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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.

 

 


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