Marketing to Children

The Toy Association is an advocate for sound and sensible measures protecting the privacy, safety, and special vulnerabilities of children in a complex media landscape.

Our goal is to promote industry compliance with guidelines and laws related to marketing to children and to empower families to make informed choices about the products they buy.

Members are encouraged to join our Responsible Marketing to Children Committee, which keeps track of this complex and ever-changing issue and works to protect children. To learn more, contact Ed Desmond, executive vice president of global government & regulatory affairs.

Information & resources

The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) is the children's arm of the advertising industry's self-regulation program. CARU evaluates child-directed advertising and promotional material in all media to advance truthfulness, accuracy, and consistency. Visit CARU.

The Federal Trade Commission’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) imposes certain requirements regarding the collection of personal information on operators of websites or online services directed to children under age 13, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from children under age 13. Visit FTC.gov.

The National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) is the nation’s largest membership organization for media literacy education. Since 1997, NAMLE has served as the leading voice, convener, and resource for media literacy education. NAMLE aims to make media literacy highly valued and widely practiced as an essential life skill. As a member of NAMLE, The Toy Association is committed to advancing media literacy education and assisting members in these efforts. Visit NAMLE.