Is it legal To Promote To Under Age Kids?

[Sunny123]

Let me explain what I mean. I have had so many great site ideas aimed at kids (all legal, of course ) but I always wonder about the legality of promoting to children. I mean...I wouldn't want my site coming under the scrutinty of federal agencies or some other regulating agencies or anything like that just because I'm marketing to children.

So what do you think?

Sunny

[ses5909]

Can you tell us what ou are trying to promote sunny? There are laws regarding alcohol and tobacco for example. Yes there are laws in the US, but it all depends on what exactly you aer trying to promote.

[Sunny123]

Hmmmm well, how do I answer this without giving away my idea ?

Well, let me just say that of course I'm not talking about any thing bad or illegal (alcohol, tobacco, porn...or any of that stuff) to sell to children.

Sunny

[demosfen]

My 4-year old recently came home from pre-K with a sample Colgate toothpaste they were giving them out, with fluoride and hell knows what else in it, ingredient list reminds of rat poison. Had to dispose of it properly. If this is legal, I am guessing anything is (Sorry for rant)

[Sunny123]

Not a problem at all. If my 4 year old came home with something I thought was harmful, I probably would be a little disturbed myself.

My target market, however, would be teenagers - old enough I suppose to make some of their own decisions about somethings but still under-age. So, any other ideas about this question?

Sunny

My 4-year old recently came home from pre-K with a sample Colgate toothpaste they were giving them out, with fluoride and hell knows what else in it, ingredient list reminds of rat poison. Had to dispose of it properly. If this is legal, I am guessing anything is (Sorry for rant)

[bluedreamer]

Big greedy corporations like Macdonalds (spit yuk) do it all the time selling crap "food" to kids

[tke71709]

You ever watch Saturday morning cartoons?

If it were illegal to market to children, they wouldn't exist.

[Sunny123]

LOL, yeah I guess you guys are right.

Sunny

[DaStuff]

Yes promoting to kids is fine, as long as it's not poisen/drugs/porn...

Toy industries, candy/food industries, restaurants, they all do it...

Aside from the random lawsuit of a candy company for giving their kid a cavity nothing ever happens to them

[tke71709]

If your site is targeting US kids then you'll also need to comply with COPPA.

A little off-topic but relevant none the less.

[Sunny123]

Thanks guys.

What tke71709 says here is also very relevant as well because, yes, I would be marketing to US teens.

I have no idea what COPPA is or what it would mean for my website, so if anyone reading this has some information about it and would like to share, please jump in.

Also, if you have some other information that you would like to add to this conversation, I would love to hear it.

Sunny

[tke71709]

Ask and ye shall receive (although I would have preferred if you had googled it first)...

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/coppa.htm

[Sunny123]

Tke...this is just the information I was looking for. Thanks so much.

And yeah, it would have been better to google it first but sometimes when you are looking for this kind of information you don't even know what to put in the search engines. But you were obviously smart enough to figure it out. Thanks a bunch.

If anyone else has a site directed at children in any way, you also need to read this information in order to stay out of hot water with the FTC.

Sunny

Ask and ye shall receive (although I would have preferred if you had googled it first)...

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/coppa.htm

[dreamscape]

My 4-year old recently came home from pre-K with a sample Colgate toothpaste they were giving them out, with fluoride and hell knows what else in it, ingredient list reminds of rat poison. Had to dispose of it properly. If this is legal, I am guessing anything is (Sorry for rant)

Off Topic:

Giving toothpaste to children!? The inhumanity! It used to be that children didn't brush and just let their teeth rot and fall out as nature intended. And the only thing they were given at school was a stern beating. Toothpaste!? My god, the horror.

[Lil_Red]

My 4-year old recently came home from pre-K with a sample Colgate toothpaste they were giving them out, with fluoride and hell knows what else in it, ingredient list reminds of rat poison. Had to dispose of it properly. If this is legal, I am guessing anything is (Sorry for rant)

I guess you don't let your kid drink water either since water is the equivalent of rat poison. You're probably one of those people who believe fluoride is a Communist plot.

You might want to educate your self on what's in rat poison and what's in toothpaste. They are nothing alike.

[demosfen]

The two previous posts violate COMMUNITY GUIDELINES as below, I suggest that both posters remove them -

When responding to other's views and opinions, do so respectfully and thoughtfully

[tke71709]

The two previous posts violate COMMUNITY GUIDELINES as below, I suggest that both posters remove them -

If you're concerned, then report them. Don't post in the thread about it.

[demosfen]

no need for reporting, it worked for the most part

[tke71709]

The posts are still there so I'm not sure how you say that it worked (unless you were talking about other posts that were deleted, in which case you should apologize to lil_red for making him look bad)