PokéSTOP: Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood Warns Against Kid-Targeted Ads

The Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood has launched a petition asking Pokémon Go developer Niantic not to deliver personalized ads to kids based on the data they collect in the augmented reality game sweeping the nation and the globe or "lure" them through commercial sponsorships. The group says children should not be led to PokeStops at retail stores or fast-food outlets. The game features PokeStops and gyms at locations in the real world where virtual Pokémon are collected and trained for battle.

Many of the stops are at historic places but others are paid sponsorships “No child should be lured to McDonald’s or any other sponsor’s establishment while playing Pokémon GO,” said Josh Golin, executive director of CCFC. “If Niantic wants to cash in on the game’s enormous popularity by herding players to its sponsors’ locations, it should exclude children from this type of marketing.”