We are all for keeping our toddlers from being peppered with advertisements — something a Boston-based group called the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood — appears to support. Forcing Disney to give parents refunds for the "Baby Einstein" videos they bought, however, is taking it a step too far.
The Walt Disney Co. has expanded its refund program for the "Baby Einstein" videos, in response to challenges about the company's claims that the videos are educational, according to an Associated Press story. In fact, the company says it will give cash refunds on any DVDs bought between June 5, 2004, and Sept. 4 of this year. (You can get more info about the refund program at this shortcut online: http://bit.ly/1I35r9.)
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has claimed victory in a yearlong battle to protect consumers from believing the videos could, for example, teach words to babies under 2 years old, the AP story stated. The campaign in May 2006 complained to the Federal Trade Commission that claims made on "Baby Einstein" packaging and on the company's Web site were not supported by scientific fact. The FTC investigated and took no formal action, but the campaign stepped up its assault on Disney, threatening a lawsuit last summer.
For those parents among us who have watched the videos, that's just silly. If there is anything wrong with the DVDs, it's that parents have a tendency to use them as babysitters for hours on end. (Many parents have called the "Baby Einstein" videos "crack for babies.") The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 2 years old watch no television or other "screen media," but that recommendation, in this day and age is pretty unrealistic. Used in moderation, the sights and sounds of the "Baby Einstein" videos are a good way to stimulate our tots' brains — even if they do not teach them to read by the time they enter pre-kindergarten.
We hate that Disney was bullied into its massive refund expansion, but our guess is that few parents will actually take advantage of it. Whether the videos are highly educational or not, we know that kids — and their parents — love them.
