As discussed in our sister blog, CARU’s revised Ad Guidelines go into effect on January 1, 2022. While the core principles of the guidelines have not changed, they now include new content to account for today’s advertising environment. Several modifications are important to keep in mind for those who collect information from children.

One of them is that the children’s privacy guidelines, which were previously included in the advertising guidelines, have been re-located to a separate document. Second, that the guidelines apply to children 13 and under (instead of children under age 12) to  provide better uniformity with the COPPA Rule. As we discussed in our sister blog, other modifications include changes to address influencer marketing, blurring, and better promoting diversity.

Putting it into Practice. Advertisers who market to children should keep in mind that the CARU guidelines will be updated beginning next year, and begin to familiarize themselves with the updated guidelines. As new FAQs about the guidelines are released, they were be announced in the CARU section of the BBB National Programs website.