CDD protects the interests of young people, through its work to ensure compliance with the law it helped pass--the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Beyond children’s privacy, CDD is committed to ensuring children and teens are treated fairly in the commercial online marketplace, where they are subjected to a torrent of powerful ads for junk food and other products.

  • The Kids Online Safety Act: Protecting LGBTQ+ Children & Adolescents Online - How changes to the Kids Online Safety Act will protect LGBTQ+ youth

    May 24 2023

    FACT SHEET

    Summary of the Kids Online Safety Act

    As Congressional hearings, media reports, academic research, whistleblower disclosures, and heartbreaking stories from youth and families have repeatedly shown, social media platforms have exacerbated the mental health crisis among children and teens fostering body image issues, creating addiction-like use, promoting products that are dangerous for young audiences, and fueling destructive bullying.  

    Date

    Wednesday, May 24, 2023
    Read more
  • CDD urges Congress to adopt stronger online safeguards for kids and teens

    May 3 2023

    CDD urges Congress to adopt stronger online safeguards for kids and teens

    Contact: Katharina Kopp, kkopp [at] democraticmedia.org

    The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), introduced by Senators Markey and Cassidy, will provide urgently needed online safeguards for children and teens. It will enact real platform accountability and limit the economic and psychological exploitation of children and teens online and thus address the public health crisis they are experiencing.

    Date

    Wednesday, May 3, 2023
    Read more
  • Reining In Meta’s Digital ‘Wild West’ as FTC protects young people’s safety, health and privacy

    May 3 2023

    Reining In Meta’s Digital ‘Wild West’ as FTC protects young people’s safety, health and privacy

    Contacts:

    Jeff Chester, CDD, 202-494-7100

    David Monahan, Fairplay, 781-315-2586

    Date

    Wednesday, May 3, 2023
    Read more
  • Meta’s Virtual Reality-based Marketing Apparatus Poses Risks to Teens and Others

    By: Jeff Chester | May 3 2023

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    Meta’s Virtual Reality-based Marketing Apparatus Poses Risks to Teens and Others

    Date

    Wednesday, May 3, 2023
    Read more
  • Advocates pledge support for landmark bill requiring online platforms to protect kids, teens with “safety by design” approach

    May 2 2023

    Sub-title

    Advocates Fairplay, Eating Disorders Coalition, Center for Digital Democracy, and others announce support of the newly reintroduced Kids Online Safety Act

    Contact:

    David Monahan, Fairplay (david@fairplayforkids.org)

    Advocates pledge support for landmark bill requiring online platforms to protect kids, teens with “safety by design” approach

    Advocates Fairplay, Eating Disorders Coalition, Center for Digital Democracy, and others announce support of the newly reintroduced Kids Online Safety Act

    Date

    Tuesday, May 2, 2023
    Read more
  • Statement from Children’s Advocacy Groups on New Social Media Bill by U.S. Senators Schatz and Cotton

    Apr 26 2023

    Statement from Children’s Advocacy Groups on 
    New Social Media Bill by U.S. Senators Schatz and Cotton

    Washington, D.C., April 26, 2023– Several children’s advocacy groups expressed concern today with parts of a new bill intended to protect kids and teens from online harms.  The bill, “The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act,” was introduced this morning by U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Tom Cotton (R-AR).

    Date

    Wednesday, April 26, 2023
    Read more
  • Advocates, experts urge Mark Zuckerberg to cancel plans to allow minors in Meta’s flagship Metaverse platform

    By: Jeff Chester | Apr 14 2023

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    Sub-title

    Citing research that illustrates a number of serious risks to children and teens in the Metaverse, advocates say Meta must wait for more research and root out dangers before targeting youth in VR

    VR

    Date

    Thursday, April 13, 2023
    Read more
  • Advocates called for investigation of Amazon's Echo Dot Kids Edition, Federal Regulators Now Poised to Act

    By: Jeff Chester | Mar 31 2023

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    Sub-title

    Reports indicate FTC plans to advance case against Amazon for violation of kids’ privacy after advocates’ 2019 complaint

    BOSTON, MA and WASHINGTON, DC — Friday, March 31, 2023 — Following a
    groundbreaking investigation of Amazon’s Echo Dot Kids by Fairplay and Center for Digital
    Democracy (CDD), the Federal Trade Commission is preparing to advance a case against
    Amazon for the company’s violations of children’s privacy law to the Department of Justice.
    According to new reporting from Politico, the case centers on Amazon’s violations of the
    Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) through its Alexa voice assistant.

    Date

    Friday, March 31, 2023
    Read more
  • Walmart Deceptively Marketing to Kids on Roblox

    Jan 24 2023

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    Consumer Advocates Urge Action

     Walmart Deceptively Marketing to Kids on Roblox

    Consumer Advocates Urge Action

    Date

    Tuesday, January 24, 2023
    Read more
  • Fairplay & CDD Statement on FTC vs EPIC Games

    By: Jeff Chester | Dec 19 2022

    Josh Golin, executive director, Fairplay:

    Date

    Monday, December 19, 2022
    Read more
  • Groups tell FTC: End all surveillance advertising & marketing to individuals under 18

    By: Jeff Chester | Nov 22 2022

    Sub-title

    Coalition of child advocacy, health, safety, privacy and consumer organization document how data-driven marketing undermines privacy and welfare of young people

    Children and teenagers experience widespread commercial surveillance practices to collect data used to target them with marketing. Targeted and personalized advertising remains the dominant business model for digital media, with the marketing and advertising industry identifying children and teens as a prime target. Minors are relentlessly pursued while, simultaneously, they are spending more time online than ever before. Children’s lives are filled with surveillance, involving the collection of vast amounts of personal data of online users.

    Date

    Monday, November 21, 2022
    Read more
  • Data-driven Health Marketing Surveillance in the U.S.

    By: Jeff Chester | Nov 21 2022

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    Sub-title

    FTC Commercial Surveillance Filing from CDD focuses on how pharma & other health marketers target consumers, patients, prescribers

    “Acute Myeloid Lymphoma,” “ADHD,” “Brain Cancer,” “High Cholesterol,” “Lung Cancer,” “Overweight,” “Pregnancy,” “Rheumatoid Arthritis,” “Stroke,” and “Thyroid Cancer.” These are just a handful of the digitally targetable medical condition “audience segments” available to surveillance advertisers  While health and medical condition marketers—including pharmaceutical companies and drug store chains—may claim that such commercial data-driven marketing is “privacy-compliant,” in truth it reveals how vulnerable U.S.

    Date

    Monday, November 21, 2022
    Read more
  • Despite Flurry of New Safety Features, Social Media Platforms Still Not Doing Enough to Protect Children, CDD Report Finds

    By: Jeff Chester | Nov 16 2022

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    Sub-title

    Government Needs to Step up its Efforts to Provide Meaningful and Effective Regulation

    Under intensifying pressure from Congress and the public, top social media platforms popular with young people – Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube – have launched dozens of new safety features for children and teens in the last year, according to a report from the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD). Researchers at CDD conducted an analysis of tech industry strategies to head off regulation in the wake of the 2021 Facebook whistleblower revelations and the rising tide of public criticism, Congressional hearings, and pressures from abroad.

    Date

    Wednesday, November 16, 2022
    Read more
  • Regulating digital marketing of alcohol: challenges and opportunities

    By: Jeff Chester | Oct 14 2022

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    Discussion by Jeff Chester at the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance

    Alcohol Marketers are now big data companies.  They are also commercial surveillance marketing enterprises, which is how data driven digital marketing is increasingly described by regulators and critics.  Like many other global industries, alcohol marketing uses an ever expanding set of diverse and sophisticated online and offline techniques designed to identify and deeply influence its target audiences.  Alcoholic beverage companies have broadly adopted the business model and tactics perfected by Google, Meta/Facebook, and Amazon.

    Date

    Friday, October 14, 2022
    Read more
  • Advocates urge Congress to push children’s internet protections across the finish line

    Sep 13 2022

    A coalition of more than 100 organizations is sending two letters to Congress urging action. A letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, from 145 organizations, urges them to advance KOSA and COPPA to full Senate votes. A letter addressed to House Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, from 158 organizations, urges them to introduce a House companion bill to KOSA.

    Date

    Tuesday, September 13, 2022
    Read more
  • Protecting Children and Teens from Unfair and Deceptive Marketing, including Stealth Advertising

    By: Jeff Chester | Jul 19 2022

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    CDD Comments to FTC for "Stealth" Marketing Inquiry
    Read more
  • Surveillance Marketing 2.0

    By: Jeff Chester | Jun 30 2022

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    Considering Privacy Legislation in the context of contemporary digital data marketing practices

    Last week, the leading global advertisers, online platforms and data marketers gathered for the most important awards given by the ad industry—the “Cannes Lions.” Reviewing the winners and the “shortlist” of runners-up—competing in categories such as “Creative Data,” “Social and Influencer,” “Brand Experience & Activation,” “Creative Commerce” and “Mobile”—is essential to learn where the data-

    Date

    Thursday, June 30, 2022
    Read more
  • Advocates call on FTC to investigate manipulative design abuses in popular FIFA game

    Jun 2 2022

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    Groups say FIFA: Ultimate Team preys on children’s vulnerability with loot boxes, “funny money

    Contact:

    David Monahan, Fairplay david@fairplayforkids.org
    Jeff Chester, CDD jeff@democraticmedia.org; 202-494-7100

    Advocates call on FTC to investigate manipulative design abuses in popular FIFA game
    Groups say FIFA: Ultimate Team preys on children’s vulnerability with loot boxes, “funny money”

    Date

    Thursday, June 2, 2022
    Read more
  • FTC Should tell Microsoft that it’s “Game Over” with its plans to buy Activision Blizzard

    By: Jeff Chester | Mar 22 2022

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    Deal reflects Big Tech move to grab more data for omnipresent tracking & targeting

    Microsoft is rapidly expanding its surveillance advertising complex—first acquiring AT&T’s powerful Xandr targeting system last December, and adding a few weeks later the online gaming and eSports giant Activision Blizzard.

    Date

    Tuesday, March 22, 2022
    Read more
  • Diverse Coalition of Advocates Urges Congress to Pass Legislation to Protect Kids and Teens Online

    Mar 22 2022

    Sub-title

    60 leading advocacy organizations say unregulated Big Tech business model is “fundamentally at odds with children’s wellbeing”

    Contact:

    David Monahan, Fairplay david@fairplayforkids.org

    Jeff Chester, Center for Digital Democracy, jeff@democraticmedia.org, 202-494-7100

    Diverse coalition of advocates urges Congress to pass legislation to protect kids and teens online
    60 leading advocacy organizations say unregulated Big Tech business model is “fundamentally at odds with children’s wellbeing”

    Date

    Tuesday, March 22, 2022
    Read more