Have you heard that Disney, owners of the very lucrative Baby Einstein brand, has offered a refund to parents who purchased Baby Einstein videos before 2004, when the company was still claiming they boosted babies' brain power? I'd be surprised if you haven't heard; it's all over the place!
Here's what the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood had to say in its latest correspondence:
Our successful campaign to persuade Disney to give refunds to parents who purchased Baby Einstein videos has become a huge international story. Media coverage includes a front page story in The New York Times ("No Genius in Your Crib? Get a Refund"); stories on Good Morning America and the CBS Evening News; and articles in hundreds of newspapers throughout the United States and Canada. Parents in other countries are now demanding their money back.And thanks to you, the story has gone viral. You've written about the refund and CCFC's success all over Twitter and Facebook. Screen time for babies and Disney's deceptive marketing has become the hot topic on parenting blogs and listservs. And pediatricians are planning to distribute information about the refunds in their offices.
The take away message? Baby Einstein DVDs are not educational. The New York Times called the refunds "a tacit admission that [Baby Einstein] did not increase infant intellect." Now parents will be able to rely on honest information and solid research - not marketing hype - when making important decisions about if and when to let their youngest and most vulnerable children watch screen media. As one mom told us, "It's great that parents will now have one less thing to worry about. No longer will they feel the pressure to have their babies watch so-called educational videos or risk falling behind."
I have a number of different thoughts about this whole thing. For example, Disney offered the refund after lawsuits challenged the educational claims of the DVDs; but they probably didn't expect the stir it would cause. I wonder if they would have offered if they'd known how much publicity it would garner. They've recently responded by saying the refund offer is part of its regular customer satisfaction plan, but as far as responses go that seems pretty weak.
I wonder, too, about the parents asking for a refund. Are they doing it to make the point that big companies can no longer use deception on consumers? Or have they looked at their little one's "intellect" and found it "lacking?" What were their expectations when they purchased the DVDs?
Don't you find that mom's comment interesting -- that now parents will have one less thing to worry about? I understand that there's no one easier to scare than a parent. After all, there's so much at stake in raising a child! But whatever happened to critical thinking? To listening to your instincts and standing your ground in the midst of surrounding insanity?
I hope that when the next "big thing" comes along with promises of better brains and brighter futures, parents will balk at the claims. That they'll do a little research or, even better, trust their inner wisdom over the contentions of commercial enterprises looking to line their pockets.
In the meantime, if you purchased a Baby Einstein DVD before 2004 and want a refund, click here!
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