FTC Uses Gaming To Teach Kids
Posted by meredith on 11-04-2008
Last week the Federal Trade Commission launched a new experiential website that uses casual gaming as a way to impart basic consumer and business concepts to young shoppers. As visitors explore stores in the virtual mall, they encounter a wide variety of games that essentially serve as a crash course in Capitalism For Beginners covering everything from basic supply and demand to target marketing.
Hmm… somehow the idea of putting anyone’s economic education into the hands of the government right now doesn’t seem quite right. And in the case of the site’s intended audience– kids 12 and under? Studies say children under 8 don’t even know what advertising is…never mind how to be a “smart consumer.” Sure, the younger set should learn the value of a hard-earned dollar and be familiar with the notion of “buyer beware.” (I think we can all recall a time from childhood when we fell victim to false advertising. I still get bummed when I think back to my Moon Shoes — they were way too dangerous to actually use. Sigh.) After all, as both the AdAge article and the FTC website point out, this demographic is estimated to spend billions of dollars on goods and services each year. But shouldn’t these be the types of lessons that can be left up to Mom and Dad to teach on a trip to the actual mall? Does it really require the Feds to step in? From the article in AdAge (reg. required):
The website “teaches kids how to be more savvy consumers by demonstrating the benefits of competition, how advertising can influence buying decisions, and the rules and regulations that many business people deal with,” said FTC Chairman William Kovacic in a statement. “It’s a great tool for parents and teachers who are trying to help kids understand their role in the marketplace.”
What do you think? Is the site overstepping the boundary between being a helpful parenting tool and an unwelcome intrusion of the state?
Categorized under: Gaming, Youth Marketing
November 5th, 2008 at 8:42 am
I knew some initiative was coming from the FTC…but, I had no idea this would be it. Hmmm. Teaching targeting and snore remedies to 12 and unders on the web seems to miss the point. The delivery system here should be curriculum in schools and parent engagement. UInderstanding advertising and good buying habits is not a “game.” It’s a way of life for kids that can be better taught in their lives with the people who have a greater impact on real buying decisions.