Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
Fairplay (formerly Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) is a Boston-based nonprofit advocacy organization that mobilizes parents, experts, and policymakers to end commercial exploitation of children and hold Big Tech accountable for digital harms. It funds operations through donations while refusing corporate contributions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood does
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, now operating under the trade name Fairplay, is a Boston-based nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2000 and led by Executive Director Josh Golin. It is the only US organization dedicated solely to ending marketing to children and has, over more than 25 years, expanded its mission to encompass Big Tech accountability and protection of children from digital harms. The organization explicitly refuses donations from Big Tech or any corporation to preserve independent advocacy, and funds operations through individual donations and foundation grants. Headcount is small (1-10 employees) and no revenue figures are publicly disclosed in the available data.
Fairplay's core 'products' are advocacy campaigns, coalition letters, downloadable Action Kits, and research reports rather than technology platforms. Notable initiatives include the Phone-Free Schools Campaign (active in 18+ states), the Pause GenAI in Schools coalition (260+ signatories), the Stop YouTube AI Slop letter (200+ signatories), the AI Toy Advisory (150+ endorsers), and the FTC complaint against Roblox. The Screen Time Action Network, a membership community of 3,000+ experts, researchers, and advocates, and ParentsSOS, a survivor-parent coalition co-founded by Fairplay, function as the organization's primary mobilization engines. Reports such as 'Teen Accounts, Broken Promises' are produced with credentialed partners including Meta whistleblower Arturo Béjar.
The business model is donation-driven with no commercial revenue stream. Resources, Action Kits, and advocacy tools are distributed free of charge through fairplayforkids.org, social media, and email newsletters. Distribution is essentially self-serve digital plus community mobilization, with earned media generated through press inquiries and high-profile coalition activity. No pricing, API, integrations, patents, or proprietary technology assets are disclosed; the organization explicitly states its technology footprint is 'Not applicable' as it does not build products or platforms.
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
- Legal name
- Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
- Website
- https://commercialfreechildhood.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Fairplay (formerly Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) is a Boston-based nonprofit advocacy organization that mobilizes parents, experts, and policymakers to end commercial exploitation of children and hold Big Tech accountable for digital harms. It funds operations through donations while refusing corporate contributions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: Fairplay relies on donations from individuals and foundations to fund advocacy work. The organization explicitly states it does not accept donations from Big Tech or any corporation, ensuring independence in advocacy efforts.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fairplay is a nonprofit advocacy organization that runs campaigns, produces research reports, and mobilizes parents, educators, and advocates to protect children from exploitative marketing, harmful digital platforms, and Big Tech business practices. Its offerings include the Screen Time Action Network (a 3,000+ member advocacy community), downloadable action kits, the ParentsSOS survivor-parent network, and named campaigns (e.g., Phone-Free Schools, Roblox Investigation, Pause GenAI in Schools, Stop YouTube AI Slop, AI Toy Advisory).
Product overview
Fairplay (formerly Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) is a nonprofit advocacy organization, not a technology product company. It offers no commercial products but provides advocacy campaigns, educational resources, and community organizing tools. Its core offerings include the Screen Time Action Network (a membership community), downloadable Action Kits on topics like online harms and school screen policies, advocacy campaigns targeting Big Tech companies (Roblox, Meta/Instagram, YouTube, Google), legislative advocacy for the Kids Online Safety Act, and research reports on children's online safety. The organization also runs the ParentsSOS parent survivor network and the Phone-Free Schools campaign that has influenced legislation in 18 states.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Screen Time Action Network
Quantifiable outcome
- Helped get phones out of schools in 18+ states
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- ParentsSOScoreCoalition of survivor parents whose children died from online harms (suicide, drug use, deadly viral challenges). Transformed grief into action to help pass KOSA 91-3 in the Senate. Co-founded by Fairplay.
- Screen Time Action Networkcore3,000+ experts, researchers, and advocates working to help kids and families find time away from commercialized digital devices. Network coordinated by Fairplay for advocacy and collective action.
- Over 260 Organizations and Experts (GenAI Pause Coalition)majorCoalition calling for five-year pause on generative AI products in preK-12 schools. Organizations and experts united to ensure AI products are safe before school deployment.
- Over 200 Organizations and Experts (YouTube AI Slop Letter)majorCoalition including Jonathan Haidt signing letter to YouTube and Google demanding protection of children from AI-generated content.
- Over 150 Advocacy Groups and Child Development Experts (AI Toy Advisory)majorCoalition endorsing advisory urging families not to buy AI toys for preschoolers, citing risks from addictive tech marketed to young children.
- Meta Whistleblower Arturo BéjarmajorPartnership with Meta whistleblower to produce 'Teen Accounts, Broken Promises' report exposing Instagram's failures to protect minors.
- Parents for Safe Online SpacesmajorPartner in producing 'Teen Accounts, Broken Promises' report documenting Instagram's failures to protect minors from harmful content.
- Molly Rose FoundationmajorPartner in producing 'Teen Accounts, Broken Promises' report on Instagram's failures to protect minors online.
- Cybersecurity for DemocracymajorPartner in producing 'Teen Accounts, Broken Promises' report exposing Meta's failures to protect minors.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Consumer Reports: Independent consumer product testing and advocacy organization. Comparable independent funding model and consumer protection advocacy, with broader product coverage but overlapping child safety and digital platform concerns.
- Public Citizen: Consumer advocacy nonprofit with broad corporate accountability remit. Comparable independent funding model, regulatory complaint work, and Congressional advocacy, though spanning many sectors beyond children's digital safety.
- Electronic Frontier Foundation: Established digital civil liberties nonprofit with broader remit than Fairplay but overlapping interest in child online safety, platform accountability, and privacy regulation. Larger scale and broader policy portfolio.
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Professional pediatric association that issues screen time and digital media guidelines for children. Highly comparable as a policy authority on child development and digital safety, with broader medical mandate and much larger membership.
Direct peers
- Fight for the Future: Digital rights advocacy nonprofit running grassroots campaigns against Big Tech harms. Comparable community-led mobilization, online campaign infrastructure, and policy advocacy targeting tech platforms.
- Common Sense Media: Nonprofit that rates and reviews media and technology for children and families. Directly comparable to Fairplay's mission to protect children from harmful digital content and marketing, with overlapping parent/educator audiences and policy advocacy work.
- Center for Digital Democracy: Consumer protection nonprofit focused on digital marketing practices and their impact on children. Direct peer in child digital welfare advocacy, with shared focus on FTC complaints and policy action against Big Tech commercial practices.
- Parents Television Council: Nonprofit advocating for responsible media for children, including screen time and content standards. Comparable grassroots mobilization model and policy advocacy targeting media platforms' impact on minors.
Emerging players
- ConnectSafely: Nonprofit focused on internet safety education for youth, parents, and educators. Smaller-scale peer with overlapping educational resource distribution, action kits, and stakeholder coalition work on digital safety.
Regional players
- 5Rights Foundation: UK-based nonprofit focused on children's digital rights and online safety regulation. Comparable policy-driven advocacy for child online safety, including age-appropriate design, though serving primarily UK/EU jurisdictions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood social profiles
Digital presenceCampaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
What does Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood do?
Fairplay is a nonprofit advocacy organization that runs campaigns, produces research reports, and mobilizes parents, educators, and advocates to protect children from exploitative marketing, harmful digital platforms, and Big Tech business practices. Its offerings include the Screen Time Action Network (a 3,000+ member advocacy community), downloadable action kits, the ParentsSOS survivor-parent network, and named campaigns (e.g., Phone-Free Schools, Roblox Investigation, Pause GenAI in Schools, Stop YouTube AI Slop, AI Toy Advisory).
Is Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood a public or private company?
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood founded?
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood based?
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Contributions.
Who are Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Consumer Reports, Public Citizen, Electronic Frontier Foundation and American Academy of Pediatrics. Direct peers are Fight for the Future, Common Sense Media, Center for Digital Democracy and Parents Television Council. ConnectSafely is listed as an emerging player. 5Rights Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood have an API?
No public API is recorded for Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.