Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands

What Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands does

Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands is a Boston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2000 (originally as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, rebranded in 2021) that campaigns against exploitative marketing practices and harmful Big Tech product design targeting children. The organization serves parents, educators, policymakers, and health professionals through free educational resources, research reports, campaign toolkits, and model legislation, with a stated 25+ year track record of influencing policy outcomes including KOSA's 91-3 Senate passage, 18+ state phone-free school laws, and FTC enforcement actions against Google/YouTube, Amazon, Prodigy, and the NGL app.

The core deliverable is not a technology product but a coordinated advocacy operation built on three pillars: (1) a content and resource engine producing reports such as Teen Accounts, Broken Promises, the AI Toys Advisory, and the Safe, Secure, & Smart guides; (2) a coalition platform, the Screen Time Action Network, convening 3,000+ experts and 40,000+ parent supporters; and (3) direct policy and regulatory work, including FTC complaints against Roblox, Google Gemini, and others, and co-drafted model legislation such as the People-First Chatbot Act. The technology stack is intentionally minimal, with the organization explicitly positioning itself as independent by refusing donations from Big Tech or any corporation.

The business model is donation-funded, with revenue drawn from individual contributions, monthly giving, planned/legacy gifts, and foundation grants (Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment is a named example). The organization has roughly 20 employees including a specialized policy team (Staff Attorney, Policy Counsel) and a newly hired Development Director (2025) signaling organizational professionalization. Distribution is entirely free and self-serve via the fairplayforkids.org website, with no commercial product or pricing structure. The company is a 501(c)(3) under legal name Fairplay, Inc. (Federal Tax ID 27-1790210) with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external equity backing.

Name

Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands

Legal name

Fairplay, Inc.

Website

https://fairplayforkids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands is a Boston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2000 that campaigns against harmful marketing practices and Big Tech product design targeting children, serving parents, educators, policymakers, and health professionals through free research, resources, and model legislation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Fairplay generates revenue through individual donations, monthly giving programs, and charitable contributions. The organization explicitly states it does not accept donations from Big Tech or any corporation to maintain independence and credibility.
2. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Donors can include Fairplay as a beneficiary in estate planning. The organization's Federal Tax ID is 27-1790210.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fairplay is a nonprofit advocacy organization that produces research-based educational resources, policy briefs, model legislation, and FTC complaints to protect children from exploitative Big Tech practices, addictive design, manipulative marketing, and harmful digital platforms. Its offerings include parent guides, school toolkits, research reports, advocacy campaigns, and the Screen Time Action Network coalition — all distributed free of charge and funded by donations.

Product overview

Fairplay is a nonprofit advocacy organization (not a technology product company) that provides educational resources, research reports, and campaign toolkits focused on protecting children from harmful digital media, Big Tech practices, and AI targeting. The organization's offerings consist of advocacy resources (guides, fact sheets, toolkits), research publications (reports on social media harms, AI toys, teen mental health), and campaign materials (petitions, model legislation, FTC complaints) rather than software products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Screen Time Action Network A coalition of 3,000+ practitioners, educators, advocates, and parents working to promote healthy childhood by reducing children's screen time through collaboration, work groups, events, and resource sharing. Free membership.
• Safe, Secure, & Smart Tech Guides
• AI Toys Advisory
• Teen Accounts, Broken Promises Report
• Screens & Learning Action Kit
• When Screens Take Over: A Parent's Guide on Teen Digital Media Overuse
• Roblox Investigation Toolkit
• Pause GenAI in Schools Campaign
• AI Slop Campaign
• 7 Reasons to Say No to Prodigy

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped pass legislation in 18+ states for phone-free schools
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ParentsSOScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded network of survivor parents whose children died as a result of online harms including suicide, drug use, and deadly viral challenges. These families have been instrumental in advocating for KOSA and transforming grief into legislative action.
• National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint FTC complaint filed against Roblox in 2026, calling for investigation into platform's exploitation of children for profit.
• Consumer Federation of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-drafted model People-First Chatbot legislation with Consumer Federation of America and Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).
• Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-drafted model People-First Chatbot legislation with Consumer Federation of America and EPIC.
• Cybersecurity for Democracy (NYU/Northeastern)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner that independently verified Instagram safety tools testing conducted by Meta whistleblower Arturo Béjar for the Teen Accounts, Broken Promises report.
• Meta Whistleblower Arturo BéjarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided assessment of Instagram safety tools for teens that formed basis of Teen Accounts, Broken Promises report.
• Molly Rose FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored the Teen Accounts, Broken Promises report exposing Instagram's failures to protect minors.
• Jonathan Haidt ('The Anxious Generation' author)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert signatory on letter to YouTube/Google demanding protection from AI-generated content for children.
• Dr. Jenny Radesky (Pediatrician and Researcher)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert signatory on letter to YouTube/Google and open letter on attention economy impacts on young children.
• Screen Time Action NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoalition of 3,000+ practitioners, educators, advocates, and parents working to promote healthy childhood by reducing screen time. Free membership with access to work groups, events, and resources.
• Phone-Free Schools Movement (PFSM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to make schools phone-free. Fairplay provides toolkit resources for school administrators and community ambassadors.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Common Sense Media: Common Sense Media is the largest US nonprofit dedicated to children's media and technology, providing ratings, reviews, and policy advocacy. It is the most direct peer to Fairplay because both target the same policy and consumer-protection terrain, frequently co-sign letters, and compete for the same donor base of parents concerned about kids' digital well-being.
• ParentsTogether: ParentsTogether is a national nonprofit advocating for parents and children on issues including online safety, screen time, and Big Tech regulation. It mobilizes a parent network similar to Fairplay's 40,000+ supporters and aligns with Fairplay on KOSA and kids' online safety lobbying.
• Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC): EPIC is a public interest research center that advocates for stronger privacy protections and co-drafted Fairplay's People-First Chatbot model legislation. It operates at the intersection of technology policy and consumer protection, with comparable lobbying and FTC complaint activity.
• Consumer Federation of America: Consumer Federation of America is a national consumer advocacy organization that co-drafted Fairplay's People-First Chatbot model bill. It brings comparable coalition-building and federal-level policy advocacy infrastructure to consumer protection issues including those affecting children.
• National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE): NCOSE is a nonprofit advocacy organization that co-filed the 2026 FTC complaint against Roblox with Fairplay. While its scope is broader (sexual exploitation), the operational model — survivor-led, FTC/legislative advocacy against tech platforms — is closely comparable to Fairplay's approach.
• Center for Digital Democracy: Center for Digital Democracy is a nonprofit advocacy and research organization focused on protecting consumers, especially children, from digital marketing practices. It co-filed Fairplay's 2019 FTC complaint against Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition, making it a longstanding coalition partner operating in the same digital-children's-privacy advocacy niche.
• Molly Rose Foundation: Molly Rose Foundation is a suicide-prevention nonprofit that co-authored the Teen Accounts, Broken Promises report with Fairplay. It represents the survivor-family-driven advocacy model that Fairplay has institutionalized through ParentsSOS, working on overlapping legislative and platform-accountability goals.

Emerging players

• Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development: Children and Screens is a nonprofit that convenes researchers, clinicians, and policymakers on child development and digital media. It is comparable to Fairplay in audience (researchers, parents, advocates) but emphasizes research dissemination rather than direct policy advocacy and FTC complaints.
• Heat Initiative: Heat Initiative is a newer nonprofit focused on holding Big Tech accountable for harms to children, particularly AI products for minors. It targets similar platform and policy issues as Fairplay but is a smaller, more recently formed organization with overlapping rather than identical campaigns.

Regional players

• Protect Young Eyes: Protect Young Eyes is a digital safety organization that provides practical guidance to parents and schools on screen time, online safety, and digital wellness. It overlaps with Fairplay's Screen Time Action Network in audience and educational resources but is more delivery-focused than advocacy-focused.

Market position

Strengths6 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fairplayforkids
• Facebookfacebook.com/fpforkids
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fairplay-childhood-beyond-brand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands