Fairplay (formerly the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood ¹ ) is a left-of-center organization that seeks to limit children’s access to social media and limit or prevent businesses from marketing for-profit products and services to children. ²

Background

Susan Linn founded Fairplay under the name Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, in 2000. ³ The organization was established to limit children’s access to for-profit products marketed to children. It later expanded into opposition to social media use by children. ⁴

Finances

While Fairplay was founded in 2000, the current iteration of the organization registered for non-profit status in 2023 and did not have any publicly available tax records as of August 2024. ⁵

Advocacy

Content Moderation

Fairplay in conjunction with David’s Legacy, sponsors the ParentsSOS project. ⁶

In 2024, ParentsSOS supported a federal bill, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would limit the amount of pro-suicide, bullying, sexual exploitation, drug promotion, and eating disorder promotion content accessible to children on social media companies through content moderation. ⁷

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a left-of-center pro-open-source and anti-content-moderation organization, ⁸ criticized KOSA for limiting teenagers access to relevant information, highlighted that arguably pro-LGBT content may be restricted under KOSA, and more generally argued that the law violates the First Amendment. ⁹ EFF has also criticized KOSA for placing the enforcement provisions of KOSA in the hands of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general. ¹⁰

Anonymous Messaging

In 2023, Fairplay filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging that the anonymous messaging application, NGL (short for Not Gonna Lie), violated the unfair and deceptive practices provision of the FTC Act. ¹¹ The complaint alleges that NGL misled customers, mainly young individuals, into believing that paying for a subscription service would provide hints that will reveal the identity of individuals sending them anonymous messages. ¹² Fairplay’s website, in covering their complaint, primarily discusses the negative impacts of anonymous messaging on children’s mental health as a vehicle for bullying. ¹³

Screen Time Action Network

Fairplay uses its Screen Time Action Network, a network of members who belong to the organization, to oppose tech-centered programming, including educational programming in schools and education settings. ¹⁴ Fairplay, through its network, successfully removed the math gaming software, Prodigy, from its members’ schools. ¹⁵

In 2021, Fairplay filed a complaint with the FTC alleging that Prodigy’s math-gaming software uses manipulative means to nudge children to subscribe to the company’s paid math gaming  services. ¹⁶ The complaint was filed with a coalition of left-of-center organizations: the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (a project of Fairplay), the Badass Teachers Association, the Berkeley Media Studies Group, the Center for Digital Democracy Center for Humane Technology, Consumer Action, the Consumer Federation of America, the Consumer Federation of California, Defending the Early Years,   Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC),  Media Education Foundation, the Network for Public Education, Obligation, Inc., Open MIC (Open Media and Information Companies Initiative), the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy, the Parents Television Council, the Parents Together Foundation, Peace Educators Allied for Children Everywhere (P.E.A.C.E.), Public Citizen, The Story of Stuff Project, TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Childhood Entertainment), and U.S. PIRG Education Fund. ¹⁷

Leadership

Josh Golin is the executive director of Fairplay. ¹⁸ Prior to leading the organization, he held various positions at Fairplay and its predecessor Center for a Commercial-Free Childhood since joining the organization in 2003. ¹⁹

1. Pfeiffer, Sacha. “Children’s advocate Susan Linn moving on.” Boston Globe. June 17, 2015. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/06/17/small-group-big-victories-fight-against-marketing-children/UivCqiWmw8WNX5AXA6928K/story.html
2. “About – Our Mission.” Fairplay. https://fairplayforkids.org/mission-impact/
3. Pfeiffer, Sacha. “Children’s advocate Susan Linn moving on.” Boston Globe. June 17, 2015. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/06/17/small-group-big-victories-fight-against-marketing-children/UivCqiWmw8WNX5AXA6928K/story.html
4. “About – Our Mission.” Fairplay. https://fairplayforkids.org/mission-impact/
5. “Fairplay Inc. – Determination Letter.” Department of Treasury-Internal Revenue Service. May 8, 2023.
6. “Parents SOS – Frontpage Footer.” ParentsSOS. https://www.parentssos.org/
7. “The Honorable Chuck Schumer: Our appeal is straightforward: please bring the Kids Online Safety Act (S. 1409) to a vote.” Parents SOS Coalition Letter. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/65a56885a72f1c4f2b4f53ef/t/65c3bd9929a3425943069b3f/1707326873887/Senate+Letter+Action.pdf
8. “About.” Electronic Frontier Foundation. https://www.eff.org/about
9. Mullin, Joe. “The KOSA Internet Censorship Bill Just Passed The Senate—It’s Our Last Chance To Stop It” July 30, 2024. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/07/kosa-internet-censorship-bill-just-passed-senate-its-our-last-chance-stop-it
10. Mullin, Joe. “The KOSA Internet Censorship Bill Just Passed The Senate—It’s Our Last Chance To Stop It” July 30, 2024. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/07/kosa-internet-censorship-bill-just-passed-senate-its-our-last-chance-stop-it
11. “Lina Khan: Re: Request for Investigation of NGL Labs for violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act.” Fairplay. October 19, 2023.https://fairplayforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NGL_complaint.pdf
12. “Lina Khan: Re: Request for Investigation of NGL Labs for violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act.” Fairplay. October 19, 2023.https://fairplayforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NGL_complaint.pdf
13. “Campaigns-Putting anonymous messaging apps on notice.” Fairplay. https://fairplayforkids.org/campaigns/
14.  “Raise your voice! How to get manipulative edtech out of your child’s school.” Fairplay. https://screentimenetwork.org/resource/raise-your-voice-how-get-manipulative-edtech-out-your-childs-school
15. “Raise your voice! How to get manipulative EdTech out of your child’s school.” Fairplay. https://fairplayforkids.org/how-to-get-manipulative-edtech-out-of-your-childs-school/
16. “Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Acting Chair: Re: Request for Investigation of Deceptive and Unfair Practices by the Edtech Platform Prodigy.” Fairplay Coalition Letter. February 19, 2021. https://fairplayforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Prodigy_Complaint_Feb21.pdf
17.  “Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Acting Chair: Re: Request for Investigation of Deceptive and Unfair Practices by the Edtech Platform Prodigy.” Fairplay Coalition Letter. February 19, 2021. https://fairplayforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Prodigy_Complaint_Feb21.pdf
18. “Josh Golin-Staff.” Fairplay. https://fairplayforkids.org/about-us/staff/
19. “Josh Golin-Staff.” Fairplay. https://fairplayforkids.org/about-us/staff/