We are well aware of the commercialized world our kids are growing up in. Each of the founders here at KidCulture is a parent of multiple children. Kids today are surrounded by ads that constantly pressure them to buy more things. Advertisements, despite their best intentions, send the message to our kids that they are not enough--that they need more stuff in order to be fun enough, interesting enough, cool enough, etc. We reject this harmful message and adamantly insist that our kids are enough! They do not need the latest toys and games and clothes to prove it.

Research shows that children do not develop the capacity to distinguish content from advertisements until they are about 7 years old. This leaves them especially vulnerable to persuasive messages and in need of regulatory protections (this is why several countries ban advertising to children under 12). In television and film, advertisements are clearly labeled as such. However, a major lack of internet regulation means that advertisements and content are progressively blurring into one. Take YouTube, for example. Today's biggest YouTube kid stars work with agencies to build advertisements and product placement into their videos, effectively transforming what would be lighthearted play into another big brand toy commercial in disguise. These are troubling trends. Kids desperately need advertising-free alternatives like KidCulture.

We follow the lead of child advocacy groups such as Commercial Free Childhood and Truth in Advertising in our rejection of advertising to children.

KidCulture is a space where kids can take refuge from the advertising onslaught of an increasingly commercialised world.