Administrator
05-02-2006, 09:39 AM
Benefits of Baby Einstein, other videos disputed
Group wants FTC to bar firms from claiming educational value
10:26 PM CDT on Monday, May 1, 2006
Associated Press
NEW YORK – A children's advocacy group filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Trade Commission contending that Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby, leading producers of videos for infants and toddlers, are marketing the products without evidence to support claims that they are beneficial.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood asked the FTC to prohibit the companies from making claims about the videos' educational benefits and to require that ads and packaging display the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation of no TV or videos for children under 2.
"These companies are exploiting parents' natural tendency to want what's best for their children, and their deceptive marketing may be putting babies at risk," said Alvin Poussaint, a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist and member of the advocacy group.
There was no immediate comment from Baby Einstein, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co.
Dennis Fedoruk, president and chief executive of Brainy Baby Co., said feedback from parents has been consistently positive since his family-owned company began making videos for infants in 1995.
The complaint assumes "that parents don't know what they're doing and can't make an intelligent decision for themselves," he said.
Mr. Fedoruk suggested that parents give little credence to the pediatrics academy's recommendation that children under 2 shouldn't watch television.
The complaint accuses the manufacturers of contending without corroboration that the videos have educational and developmental value. It cites ads and promotional materials such as a claim by Baby Einstein that its Baby Wordsworth video can help a toddler learn words in Spanish, French and English. It also cites a claim by Brainy Baby that its Peek-A-Boo video "helps nurture such important skills as object permanence, communication skills, cause and effect, language development and many others."
"In fact, preliminary research suggests that television is a poor tool for educating very young children," the complaint says.
Mr. Fedoruk denied that his company is making any farfetched claims. "We're not making promises that our videos will make your child a genius."
Group wants FTC to bar firms from claiming educational value
10:26 PM CDT on Monday, May 1, 2006
Associated Press
NEW YORK – A children's advocacy group filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Trade Commission contending that Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby, leading producers of videos for infants and toddlers, are marketing the products without evidence to support claims that they are beneficial.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood asked the FTC to prohibit the companies from making claims about the videos' educational benefits and to require that ads and packaging display the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation of no TV or videos for children under 2.
"These companies are exploiting parents' natural tendency to want what's best for their children, and their deceptive marketing may be putting babies at risk," said Alvin Poussaint, a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist and member of the advocacy group.
There was no immediate comment from Baby Einstein, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co.
Dennis Fedoruk, president and chief executive of Brainy Baby Co., said feedback from parents has been consistently positive since his family-owned company began making videos for infants in 1995.
The complaint assumes "that parents don't know what they're doing and can't make an intelligent decision for themselves," he said.
Mr. Fedoruk suggested that parents give little credence to the pediatrics academy's recommendation that children under 2 shouldn't watch television.
The complaint accuses the manufacturers of contending without corroboration that the videos have educational and developmental value. It cites ads and promotional materials such as a claim by Baby Einstein that its Baby Wordsworth video can help a toddler learn words in Spanish, French and English. It also cites a claim by Brainy Baby that its Peek-A-Boo video "helps nurture such important skills as object permanence, communication skills, cause and effect, language development and many others."
"In fact, preliminary research suggests that television is a poor tool for educating very young children," the complaint says.
Mr. Fedoruk denied that his company is making any farfetched claims. "We're not making promises that our videos will make your child a genius."