TIA Position Statement on Marketing to Children
November 18, 2009

The Toy Industry Association (TIA) and its members are proud of the toys and games we produce and their role in play, which developmental experts agree is an important, life-shaping experience in the growth of a child. We believe it is appropriate to market toys and games both to children and to their parents, so long as it is done responsibly.

Ultimately, TIA and its members understand that a parent or primary caregiver knows his or her child best. Research confirms that parents agree that they should be involved in all aspects of their child’s life, including the child’s television viewing, computer time, and purchasing decisions.

The toy industry believes firmly in self-regulation and is committed to follow best practices in marketing to our consumers – both in online and offline advertising – as reflected in various national codes and industry guidelines. These include the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus  (of which TIA is a long-standing member) in the United States and the codes of the International Chamber of Commerce and local self-regulatory codes internationally. We are actively involved with various self-regulatory organizations in continually reviewing and improving those guidelines as needed.

To that end, TIA this year collaborated with CARU on topics that affect children’s advertisers, presenting an educational webinar on the topics of online children’s privacy, adequacy of disclosures, and the depiction of products in a truthful and accurate fashion.   The TIA supports the mission, mandate and guidelines of CARU, and plans to collaborate on further educational efforts.