U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Rockefeller (D-W.V.), and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) have written a letter to Rockstar, Inc. CEO Russell Weiner, questioning the energy drink company’s relationship with Ronin Syndicate, the manufacturer of remote-controlled toys crossed-branded with the Rockstar logo. Responding to consumer complaints on social media sites, the senators pointed to a July 31, 2013, hearing held by the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee investigating the alleged health risks of caffeinated energy drinks. In particular, they noted that Rockstar Chief Operating and Financial Officer Janet Weiner told committee members that “Rockstar’s target demographic is persons 18 to 35 years of age and their company does not market products to children under 12 years of age.” “Despite statements from your company that Rockstar, Inc. does not market to children, examples of what appear to be targeted marketing of your products to children have come to our attention,”…
Tag Archives children
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) have reportedly introduced joint legislation (S. 1700 and H.R. 3481) that would expand the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) to cover children older than age 12 and establish new rules for collecting, storing and disclosing their personal information. Titled the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2013, the initiative includes provisions that “would extend protection to teens ages 13 to 15 by prohibiting Internet companies from collecting personal and location information from teens without their consent and would create an ‘eraser button’ so parents and children could eliminate publicly available personal information content, when technologically feasible.” According to Markey, who in September 2013 asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Facebook’s decision to change its privacy settings for teens, the legislation seeks to draw congressional attention to “the speed with which Facebook is pushing teens to…
The Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity has released an updated report on food advertising to children and teens that criticizes the fast-food industry for failing to meet its own marketing standards. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “Fast Food FACTS 2013” claims that fast-food restaurants spent $4.6 billion on total advertising in 2012, an 8 percent increase over 2009. In particular, the report notes that even as “older children’s total exposure to fast food TV and internet advertising declined,” “fast food marketing via social media and mobile devices—media that are popular with teens—grew exponentially.” According to the Rudd Center, which reportedly surveyed the menus and marketing practices of 18 top fast-food restaurants in the United States, children aged 6-11 saw 10 percent fewer fast-food TV ads in 2012 compared to 2009, while many chains discontinued popular websites geared toward younger audiences. At the same time,…
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently issued a policy statement calling on doctors to review patient media use and work with parents to scale back their children’s “entertainment screen time.” The latest in an ongoing series of policy statements addressing media violence, infant media use, and obesity and the media, AAP’s recommendations include encouraging parents to (i) “limit the amount of total entertainment screen time to <1 to 2 hours per day,” (ii) “discourage screen media exposure for children <2 years of age,” (iii) “keep the TV set and Internet-connected electronic devices out of the child’s bedroom,” and (iv) “monitor what media their children are using and accessing, including any Web sites they are visiting and social media sites they may be using.” In addition, AAP has requested that physicians “ask two media questions and provide age-appropriate counseling for families at every well-child visit: How much recreational screen time…
Communications and health policy researchers report that while perceptions about government interventions to address childhood obesity are correlated with political ideology, certain approaches to—or framing of—the childhood obesity message can affect whether conservatives accept the seriousness of the problem and are willing to (i) endorse responsibility beyond the individual, and (ii) support policy action. Sarah Gollust, et al., “Framing the Consequences of Childhood Obesity to Increase Public Support for Obesity Prevention Policy,” Research & Practice, November 2013. Their findings were based on two Web-based public opinion surveys. The first involved testing perceptions as to a series of common messages about the consequences of childhood obesity. And from those viewed as the strongest, the researchers selected four to use in the second study to assess beliefs about responsibility for addressing childhood obesity and support for policies intended to curb its incidence, including a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, physical activity requirements in schools,…
Led by the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), a coalition of public health, media, youth, and consumer advocacy groups has written a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), asking the agency to review Facebook’s recent decision to relax its privacy protections for teenage users. According to an October 20, 2013, press release, the letter raises concerns about the social networking site’s new terms of service agreement, which, among other things, apparently gives Facebook “permission to use, for commercial purposes, the name, profile picture, actions, and other information concerning its teen users.” It also objects to a new condition of service that asks 13-to-17-year-olds to “represent that at least one of your parents or legal guardians has also agreed to the terms of this section (and the use of your name, profile picture, content, and information) on your behalf.” In particular, the coalition argues that these proposed changes “would expose…
“The food industry is spending almost $2 billion a year marketing directly to children and teens,” opines food industry critic Anne Lappé in an October 2, 2013, interview with Mother Jones that focuses on her latest project, Food MythBusters. Discussing a range of topics from genetically modified organ- isms to food marketing and farm labor practices, Lappé not only argues that the food industry “has infiltrated all aspects of our children’s lived experience, including their experience at school,” but claims that legal restrictions on food marketing and advertising are necessary to protect children’s health. She also criticizes the industry’s move toward self-regulation, alleging that such initiatives have already failed. “Diet-related illnesses are causing nearly as many deaths as tobacco-related illnesses, not to mention the impact on quality of life when you start to develop adult-onset diabetes as a child, or all these other diet-related illnesses,” concludes Lappé, whose Food MythBusters…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has requested comments on proposed self-regulatory guidelines submitted by the kidSAFE Seal Program under the safe harbor provisions of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (the COPPA Rule). Owned and operated by Samet Privacy, LLC, the kidSAFE Seal Program identifies itself as “a fast-growing safety certification service and seal-of-approval program designed exclusively for children-friendly websites, mobile applications, tablet devices, and other similar interactive services and technologies.” The program is seeking safe harbor status pursuant to Section 312.11 of the Revised COPPA Rule. In particular, FTC has asked respondents to consider, among other things, whether (i) the proposed guidelines provide “the same or greater protections for children” as those contained in Sections 312.2-312.10 of the Rule; (ii) “the mechanisms used to assess operators’ compliance with the proposed guidelines” are effective; (iii) “the incentives for operators’ compliance with the proposed guidelines” are effective; and (iv) the proposed…
William Dietz, the former director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has authored a September 2013 commentary in the journal Health Affairs, urging the “mobilization of parents as a political force to improve standards for food marketed to children.” William Dietz, “New Strategies to Improve Food Marketing to Children,” Health Affairs, September 2013. Recounting the past efforts of the Federal Trade Commission and other government agencies to curb food marketing to children, Dietz argues that these initiatives “have had a modest but positive impact” on the media landscape but have ultimately foundered in the face of industry opposition. “Because groups that support the needs of children will never have the same resources in the political arena as those of the industries that market to children, it is time to consider alternative strategies,” Dietz writes. In particular, he suggests that…
A federal court in California has granted a motion for final settlement approval in a nationwide class action alleging that Kellogg Co. falsely advertised its Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal products as a food that could help improve children’s attentiveness by 20 percent. Dennis v. Kellogg Co., No. 09-1786 (S.D. Cal., order entered September 10, 2013). Details about prior rulings in the case appear in Issue 483 of this Update. The court had previously given reluctant approval to the preliminary settlement, concerned that the class relief appeared to have diminished after remand from the Ninth Circuit, with attorney’s fees appearing to remain constant—the original settlement had a cash value of about $10.5 million with $2 million for attorney’s fees and claims administration; the revised settlement has a cash value of $4 million with $1.5-2 million reserved for attorney’s fees and claims administration. According to the court, the plaintiffs demonstrated that “the seemingly unchanged total…
