Your Ticket to National Consumer Protection Week 2010

Posts Tagged ‘children’

National Financial Capability Challenge

February 23rd, 2010
by Nicole

A few weeks ago, my colleague Colleen wrote about the challenges of her first credit card. Many of us have had similar experiences—when we realize we won’t be able to pay off our debt as quickly and easily as we thought. More than ever, it’s important that kids and young adults learn practical financial skills, so they can avoid costly mistakes.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S Department of Education have teamed up to launch the National Financial Capability Challenge for 2010. The Challenge is an awards program designed to increase the financial knowledge and capability of high school students.

During February and March, educators who accept the challenge will teach students the basics of personal finance. Then, students will take a voluntary online exam. In April, educators and top-scoring students will receive award certificates, and schools and states with the highest participation rates will earn special distinction. 

All educators working with U.S students (ages 13-19) are encouraged to register for the Challenge, download the free Educator Toolkit, prepare their students, and administer the online exam.

Registration ends on March 14, so please spread the word to high school educators in your local community!

Tags: budget, children, education, financial literacy, high school, kids, teaching
Posted in Credit and Debt, For Kids, Money | No Comments »

Online Safety for Kids and Parents

February 5th, 2010
by Julia

Kids are using all kinds of platforms and tools to communicate and connect online:  social networks, photo and video sharing sites, IM, email, blogs.  But is your computer wiz kid whizzing around the web safely?  Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online is a new free guide from OnGuardOnline.gov that helps parents, teachers, and other mentors navigate this landscape and start the conversation with kids about living their lives online.  It’s available in Spanish at AlertaenLínea.gov.

Since the booklet’s release in October 2009, schools, PTAs, police departments, and libraries across the country have ordered over a million copies of Net Cetera to use in their online safety programs.  There are lots of ways you can share the guide with your community, too.  Here are just a few:

• Order free copies for friends and family, or for a school, scout troop, or soccer team.  Hand them out at a PTA meeting, or pass them on to teachers in time for parent-teacher conferences.  Visit bulkorder.ftc.gov to order as many free copies as you can use.
• Grab the Net Cetera button from OnGuardOnline.gov to use on your own website.
• Include information from the guide in your blog or newsletter, or send it to your list serv.
• Co-brand it with OnGuardOnline.gov – there’s even space on the back for a sticker with your organization’s logo or seal.

Net Cetera is in the public domain.

Have other ideas for outreach?  Leave them in the comments!  And if you’ve used the guide, let us know.

Tags: children, community outreach, computers, internet, kids, outreach
Posted in For Kids | 5 Comments »

Privacy Today

January 28th, 2010
by Nicole

When I was a kid, my definition of privacy was keeping my diary hidden from my brother. I didn’t think much about the value of my personal information, like my home address or phone number, and I didn’t have any passwords to keep safe.

My twelve-year-old niece already has a much more complex understanding of privacy than I did at her age, and she’ll need that as she begins to use social networking sites, smart cell phones, and the latest interactive games and technologies.

Because the notion of privacy is changing for everyone, the FTC is hosting a series of privacy roundtables to explore the privacy challenges posed by 21st century technology and business practices. The goal of the roundtables is to determine how best to protect privacy while supporting the beneficial uses of these new technologies.

It’s quite appropriate that we are hosting the second roundtable today, January 28, which is recognized as Data Privacy Day in the U.S., Canada and 27 European countries. To learn more about Data Privacy Day and to find resources to help you better protect your privacy, visit DataPrivacyDay.org.

One goal of Data Privacy Day is to promote privacy awareness among teens and young adults, and one resource that can help is Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids about Being Online. It’s a guide that provides practical tips to help adults help kids navigate the online world – whether they’re dealing with social networking and cyberbullying or sexting and file-sharing. 

For more tips about how you can protect your privacy and stay safe online, visit OnGuardOnline.gov, where you can play games, watch videos, and read more about social networking sites, phishing, and kids’ privacy.

Happy Data Privacy Day!

Tags: children, data, identity theft, kids, privacy, teaching
Posted in For Kids, Identity Theft and Privacy | 2 Comments »

Memories (and what I learned) About Getting My First Credit Card

January 27th, 2010
by Colleen

Ever heard the phrase “If I knew then what I know now”? Well, some of us can relate that phrase back to getting our first credit card. You know what I’m taking about…buying the latest electronic gadget, tickets to a must-see concert, or a new outfit for a special date, certain you can pay off the balance rather quickly. But of course, that’s when the unexpected happens: your car needs a new battery, your TV [or computer] gets fried during a thunderstorm (note to self: use a surge protector), or your hours get cut at work. Suddenly, making payments on, let alone paying off, your credit card isn’t going to be as easy as you thought.

Being out on your own can be fun and exciting, but it also means taking on new financial responsibilities. The decisions you make now about how you manage your finances and borrow money will affect you in the future – for better or worse.

Did you know that there are companies that keep track of whether you pay your debts and if you make payments on time? They’re called credit reporting companies, and they sell this information, in the form of a credit report, to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a place to live.

A bad credit history can haunt you for a long time – seven years or more. That’s why the best thing to do is learn how to maintain good credit before there’s a problem. While this might seem complicated at first, it gets easier once you understand the basics of credit and how it works.

So rather than getting your credit education through the “school of hard knocks,” let the FTC help – for free: Getting Credit: What You Need to Know About Your Credit and Focus on Finances: Preparing for Your Future provide tips on budgeting, shopping for credit cards, using cards carefully, and keeping your credit record clean. They also explain credit reports and credit scores, how to protect your identity, improve your credit record, and what to do if you are a victim of identity theft. Focus on Finances also navigates the ins and outs of buying a car, new or used. Both publications are good sources of information for people like you who are just learning about credit and making your own buying decisions.

And as they say, “pay it forward.” Share this information with your friends – and your parents. They may learn something, too.

Tags: children, credit, credit cards, kids, teaching
Posted in Credit and Debt, For Kids | 4 Comments »

Today’s Fortunate Youngsters

January 14th, 2010
by Nicole

The kids today have it so easy. When I was kid, we couldn’t just google something to find information. We had to walk to the library and use the card catalog. If we wanted to watch cartoons, we had to wait until Saturday morning—there was no Cartoon Network. And if we wanted to learn about avoiding frauds and scams, we couldn’t visit the FTC’s online mall.

If the internet had existed, I’m sure my friends and I would have headed to the East Terrace to learn how to spot and avoid frauds and scams. We could have started at Maggie’s Miracle Cart, where visitors examine the claims of several “miracle” products and learn that they don’t live up to the hype.

Then, we could have wandered over to the Clothing Co, where Isaac nearly falls for a modeling scam. With the help of his friends, he realizes that he shouldn’t be fooled by flattery and shouldn’t pay for the promise of success.

At Kablamo! Comics, we could have commiserated with poor Keno, who tells visitors how he lost twenty bucks to a job scam. Across the store, we could have helped Captain Noscam by blasting keywords and phrases that are used frequently in scams.

Finally, at the vacations kiosk, we could have won a free vacation only to learn that there’s a catch. We wouldn’t have gotten that free trip to Smithington Castle, but we certainly would have been wiser after our trip to the mall.

Tags: children, internet, kids, scams, teaching, YouAreHere
Posted in For Kids, Scam Watch | No Comments »

You’re So Competitive

January 13th, 2010
by Jennifer

It’s a competitive time of year. As anyone who even flips on a TV knows, it’s countdown to the Olympics time. And, I’m told, it’s nearly Super Bowl Sunday. So it’s all about the competition among highly trained and/or highly-paid athletes, coming soon to a screen near you.

But at the FTC, it’s all-competition, all the time. And, handily enough, the agency’s work on competition is laid out in cartoon form on YouAreHere.

Walk this way for a visit to the Food Court, where guides Isaac and Emily explain how competition gets you more for your buck.  The question is: pizza, pizza or pizza for lunch? Find out how businesses compete for kids’ dollars by giving them some combination of better prices, bigger selection, higher quality, or better service.
At Tripple Cold Creamery, find out how a possible merger of the only two ice cream places in town might tragically threaten dollar scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. It’s serious business.

In the Candytooth Kingdom, you can learn about supply and demand…while playing a game, so it’s not all those graphs of demand curves that you may remember from Econ 101. (Seriously, which makes more sense: the game or the graphs? I know my answer to that question.)

Finally, a quick visit to the Cinema will give you an old-timey-style overview of the FTC’s history, and the low-down on whether Isaac and Emily are dating. (I’m thinking yes.)

Tags: children, competition, economics, kids, merger
Posted in For Kids, NCPW | 4 Comments »

Be an Info Defender: Visit the YouAreHere Security Plaza

January 11th, 2010
by Julia

The internet offers a world of opportunities to access and exchange information. You can find a local mechanic or pastry shop in a matter of seconds, purchase a plane ticket to Paris with just a few clicks, and stay in touch with your friends and family across the country and around the globe.

The sharing of personal information happens offline, too – when you’re getting a library card, for example, or signing a cell phone contract. But these opportunities come with certain risks, and – especially as kids start to interact with the broader world, online and off – it’s important for every member of the family to know how to keep their personal information safe.

The Security Plaza of the FTC’s online mall uses engaging dialogue and fun, interactive games to teach kids how to protect their personal information. At Mall Security, kids learn what ID theft is and how to help their families avoid it. In the fast-paced Arcade game Info Defender 3, players can try their hand at protecting the planet against Cyclorian invaders hungry for Earthlings’ identities. Relaxing in the Book Café, Emily demonstrates the importance of thinking before posting on social networking sites and elsewhere. Finally, Jim at Network Security walks kids through how to stay safe online.

To help kids use the site – and maybe even learn something yourself – check out YouAreHere’s information for parents and teachers.

Tags: children, computers, identity theft, kids, privacy, teaching, YouAreHere
Posted in For Kids | 1 Comment »

Someone’s Target Audience

January 7th, 2010
by Jennifer

The first time I remember being really aware of target marketing, I was in the movie theater. It was a few years ago, and a friend and I had gone to a teeny-bopper movie. (OK, I admit it: my taste in movies is the opposite of high-brow.) The previews started, and that’s when it happened:

“Why is it so loud?”

“You call this music?  It’s just noise!”

That was us. The actual teenagers around us were just enjoying themselves. However, our thirty-something selves reacted like we were our grandmothers. Clearly, we were not the demographic the advertisers were after.

For anyone who’s had a similar experience (seriously, are you sometimes offended by the ads that show up on your Facebook page?), you know you’re someone’s target audience. But kids (and, oh, others) haven’t always figured that out.

That’s where a trip to the FTC’s online mall is in order. YouAreHere teaches kids 8-12 about being smarter consumers, covering subjects like protecting their privacy (online and off), why competition among businesses matters to them, spotting and avoiding frauds and scams – and understanding advertising.

In the West Terrace of the mall, animated guides Isaac and Emily introduce kids to advertising. In Shuman’s Shoes, they can design an ad (and learn about ad claims). In Gr8 Gadgets, the Chopper Dan experience shows what happens when the cool toy on TV isn’t so cool in real life. The Nutritional Emporium teaches kids to check out ad claims. (Does “Doctor Approved” mean it’s automatically good? Short answer: no.) And perky Claire at the wireless kiosk gives a quick but thorough lesson on targeting.

I should have played it before I went to that movie.

Tags: advertising, children, kids, mall, marketing, movies
Posted in For Kids | 2 Comments »

It’s Never Too Early for Dollars and Sense

December 31st, 2009
by Lisa

A few weeks ago, my four-year-old was excitedly flipping through a department store circular filled with toy ads. As he sat there mesmerized by the brightly colored action figures, trucks and building blocks, I cautioned him to pick only three things that he wanted for Christmas.

I may as well have asked him to solve the Riemann hypothesis. When you’re four, it’s virtually impossible to fathom a world in which wallets have limits — especially when there’s something you really, really, really want.

For parents like me, National Consumer Protection Week is an ideal time to introduce kids to the concepts of money and budgeting. This year’s theme — Dollars & Sense: Rated A for All Ages — is a reminder that the lessons of responsible spending, budgeting and overall money management can never be taught too early — and never learned too late.

In fact, this year we have added a new section to the NCPW website just for kids and parents. As NCPW gets closer, we’ll be adding more resources to this page and highlighting some of them on the blog. After all, being a smart consumer isn’t something you get from your parents naturally, like hair color. And it doesn’t come with a diploma the way free chips (or a bag of carrots) come with the lunch special. It’s a skill that must be developed from an early age, and it helps to have cool websites and funny videos.

I still have a long way to go with my four-year-old, so I’ll be checking the kids page often. I hope you’ll join me!

Tags: budget, children, kids, Money, teaching
Posted in For Kids, Money | 6 Comments »