FTC Staff Paper Details Potential Harms to Kids from Blurred Advertising, Recommends Marketers Steer Clear

Summary:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has published a new staff paper recommending that businesses, social media influencers, and others who market products online to children should avoid blurring advertising by clearly separating it from entertainment, educational, and other content. The paper highlights concerns that many children do not have the skills or cognitive defenses to identify and evaluate blurred advertising, which can lead to deception, physical, psychological, financial, privacy, and other harms. The staff paper recommends five practices to mitigate potential harm, including not blurring advertising, providing prominent just-in-time disclosures, creating icons to flag advertising, educating kids, parents, and teachers, and platforms considering policies, tools, and controls to address blurred advertising. The Commission voted 3-0 to approve the staff perspective and recommendations, emphasizing the importance of protecting children from the harms of blurred advertising.