October, 23 2009, 10:58am EDT
CCFC Victory: Disney Offers Parents Refunds on Baby Einstein Videos
In an important development in the Campaign for a Commercial-Free
Childhood's ongoing efforts to stop companies from marketing screen
media as educational for babies, the Baby Einstein Company, a Walt
Disney company, is offering a refund to anyone who purchased a Baby
Einstein video in the past five years.
"There is no credible evidence that any screen media is educational
for children under two," said CCFC's director, Susan Linn, "so we are
pleased by this offer."
BOSTON
In an important development in the Campaign for a Commercial-Free
Childhood's ongoing efforts to stop companies from marketing screen
media as educational for babies, the Baby Einstein Company, a Walt
Disney company, is offering a refund to anyone who purchased a Baby
Einstein video in the past five years.
"There is no credible evidence that any screen media is educational
for children under two," said CCFC's director, Susan Linn, "so we are
pleased by this offer."
Baby Einstein's offer of a refund came three years after CCFC filed a
Federal Trade Commission complaint against Baby Einstein for making
unsubstantiated claims that their videos were educational for babies.
After CCFC's complaint, Disney stopped making those claims, but did not
extend a refund offer at that time. Now, anyone who bought the videos
between June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2009 can get their money back.
"We thought that families deserved better," said Dr. Alvin F.
Poussaint, a psychiatrist at Judge Baker Children's Center and member
of the CCFC Steering Committee. "Marketing of baby videos plays to
parents' natural tendency to want what is best for their children. We
believe that in response to our advocacy, Disney is now offering a full
refund to parents who bought Baby Einstein videos." The American
Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under the
age of two.
"Parents have a right to know that there is no credible evidence that
screen media is educational for babies," said Dr. Linn. "We urge
parents who bought Baby Einstein videos to take advantage of Disney's
refund offer. We hope that other baby media companies will follow
suit."
For information about how to obtain a Baby Einstein refund, visit https://www.babyeinstein.com/(S(3qnoffi1whnnnt55h2ljk355))/parentsguide/satisfaction/upgrade_us.html.
To read CCFC's Federal Trade Commission complaint, visit https://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/babyvideos/ftccomplaint.htm.
Fairplay, formerly known as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, educates the public about commercialism's impact on kids' wellbeing and advocates for the end of child-targeted marketing. Fairplay organizes parents to hold corporations accountable for their marketing practices, advocates for policies to protect kids, and works with parents and professionals to reduce children's screen time.
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