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January 25, 2007
Contact: Josh Golin (857-241-2028);
josh<at>commercialfreechildhood.org
For Immediate Release
CCFC to President Bush:
Luring Babies to Screens is Not Heroic
The following is the statement of the
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood in response to
President Bush using his State of the Union address to promote
the Baby Einstein video series. During his speech, the
President lauded Baby Einstein’s founder, Julie Aigner-Clark, as
an example of the “the heroic kindness, courage and
self-sacrifice of the American people,” and described the
success of Baby Einstein in detail. In 2006, the Campaign for a
Commercial-Free Childhood filed a
Federal Trade Commission complaint against Baby Einstein for
false and deceptive marketing; that complaint is pending.
It is extremely disappointing that the
President used his State of the Union address to provide a free
infomercial for a company built on false and deceptive
marketing. Despite its claims, there is no evidence that
watching Baby Einstein videos is educational for babies and
toddlers.
The President claimed that Ms. Aigner-Clark
“represents the great enterprising spirit of America.” We
respectfully disagree. We don’t believe that preying on
parents’ concerns about their children’s well-being; deceiving
customers about a product’s benefits; or exploiting our youngest
and most vulnerable children should have any role in the
American marketplace.
Research suggests that -- for babies -- TV
viewing may be harmful. It’s been found to interfere with
cognitive development, language development and regular sleep
patterns.
The more time babies spend in front of TV,
the less time they spend engaging in two activities that really
do facilitate learning: interacting with parents away from
screens, and spending time in creative play.
TV viewing can also be habituating. For
older children, hours of television watched are linked to
bullying, poor school performance and childhood obesity.
Despite these concerns, more babies are
spending more time in front of televisions than ever. They do
so, in part, because well-financed sophisticated marketing
campaigns insure that we’ve all heard of Baby Einstein.
Meanwhile, only 6% of parents are aware that the American
Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children
under two.
Americans would be much better served if
the President used the bully pulpit to promote the AAP’s
recommendation rather than promoting a company whose marketing
deceives parents into believing that it’s educational to plop
babies in front of screens.
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Take Action
Tell the FTC that Parents Need Honest
Information
About Baby Videos
More On the CCFC's FTC Complaint
Letter of Support from American Academy of Pediatrics
Letter of Support from American Academy of Adolescent
Psychiatry
Group Sues Video Firms On Tot-Learning Claims
Washington Post, 5/2/06
Baby videos deceptive, advocacy group argues
Boston Globe, 5/2/06
CCFC's Press Release on Baby Einstein/Brainy Baby
Complaint
CCFC's Press Release on BabyFirstTV Complaint |
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