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End The Misinformation

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Parent Letter to Retailers

Dear Retailer,

Drowning is the single leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 in the United States.

It is preventable — and while your company may unwittingly be contributing to this epidemic, you can be part of the solution.

We are the mothers, fathers, family, and friends of children who have drowned, and we are reaching out to you to bring your attention to a contributing factor which is within your power to change.

Flotation devices are being marketed and sold in a way that we believe increases the risk of children drowning.

Product packaging language makes such claims as “learn to swim easily,” “parents can finally enjoy peace of mind,” and “increase their confidence in water,” many parents find themselves using the products under false assumptions and developing a false sense of confidence and security when it comes to their child’s aquatic ability and safety.

End The Misinformation

Simply put, these devices do not teach children to swim, and their usage may actually increase the risk of drowning. Children should only use flotation devices that have been approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, and many of the products on the market lack this important certification. Flotation devices are ideal for protecting children who are around water for whom being in the water would be risky. This includes boating, recreating or swimming in open water, and being around water. Routine use of flotation devices in swimming pools and other swimming sites may actually increase risk of drowning, providing the child and parents a false sense of security in the water. We believe this contributes to the fact that almost 70% of young children who drown do so when it is not swim time. We ask that you bring your powerful voice to ensure that messages like these stop appearing on your website, in your marketing, and along your store’s aisles.

We also ask you to join forces with us at the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. Together with our consortium of parents, organizations, companies, leaders and change agents, we can End the Misinformation and make a significant impact on this most critical issue.

Please reach out to us so that we can share more about what is being done to prevent childhood drowning and how you can help.

Thank you,

Adam Katchmarchi, Ph.D.
Executive Director
National Drowning Prevention Alliance

Benjamin Hoffman, M.D.
Chief Medical Advisor
National Drowning Prevention Alliance

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About Our Mission

At the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, part of our vision is to end childhood drowning – the single leading cause of death among children ages one to four.

One major challenge we face is the misleading and inaccurate information used to market and sell children’s flotation devices commonly used by millions of parents.

Some examples of these inaccuracies include:

  • “learn to swim easily”
  • “parents can finally enjoy peace of mind”
  • “increase their confidence in water”

This product messaging is misleading at best – deadly at worst.

As a result of this language, many parents find themselves misusing the product and developing a false sense of confidence and security when it comes to their child’s aquatic ability and safety.

We need your help to “End The Misinformation” and save children’s lives! 

We encourage you to take a moment to hear directly from Nicole Hughes as she bravely shares her personal story. Nicole lost her 3-year old son, Levi, in a tragic drowning accident which followed a day of playing in the pool while wearing a flotation device. Her story is incredibly powerful, and tragically, much too common.

There has never been a study to show that the use of flotation devices help children learn to swim as these misleading messages claim. And while flotation devices may have a place when used appropriately under the close supervision of an adult – their use and efficacy must be studied and proven before such claims can be made. If you share our vision to end childhood drowning, we ask that you please sign our “End The Misinformation” letter that we will be bringing to the retail industry to call attention to and address misleading marketing claims.

If you are a parent who has been impacted by this horrific tragedy, we invite you to share your story to help shed light on this issue.

Please know we are not asking for or encouraging public shaming of any retailers via social media or otherwise.  We believe they – like many of us – have been unaware of this issue.  Instead, we aim to gather as many voices and signatures as possible to create an incredible groundswell of support to help ensure that no parent or child is misled by this language.

Together with urgency and purpose, we can create change.

Click here to sign the letter.

FAQs

Fun and colorful marketing language helps sell products. However, when it comes to flotation devices, parents need clear and accurate messaging about the products that they are buying and their intended use. Many children’s flotation devices available from major retailers make substantial claims about their devices performance and outcomes that we consider misleading, especially regarding learning water safety and swim skills. Many of these products are not approved by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Here are 10 examples of dangerous and misleading language being used to market flotation devices from various retailer websites:

    1. “Parents enjoy free time while kids are safe in water”
    2. “Helping beginning swimmers learn how to swim”
    3. “Learn to swim easily”
    4. “…kids feel happy and stay safe, while parents can finally enjoy peace of mind”
    5. “Confidence helper – swimming is a great sport helping kids build independence and confidence.”
    6. “…helps kids fast learn swimming”
    7. “Easiest way for learning to swim. Life vest jacket with attached arm bands for teaching kids to safely learn to swim!”
    8. “Learn-to-swim aid for beginners in the water, swimming pool for children. More freedom and confidence to swim and play.”
    9. “Parents can relax with confidence while their kids are in the pool.”
    10. “Help your child to learn to swim faster and easier”

The messaging and marketing used to sell these devices to the public must provide sound water safety information. As part of this effort, we are asking retailers to closely examine how these devices are marketed and messaged on their website. USCG tested and approved flotation devices serve a critical role in water safety and drowning prevention (especially in open water environments). US Coast Guard Approved devices are designed and tested for buoyancy and are highly recommended for use in certain situations such as boating, open water activities, and when weak or non-swimmer are around water. They are designed to protect people if they end up in the water when they were not expecting it.

Yes. USCG tested and approved flotation devices can be an important and effective a layer of protection, especially in all open water environments. However, overreliance on one layer of protection can be dangerous. Other layers, such as barriers/fences, alarms, supervision, and gaining water competency are critical components to any water safety plan. The messaging and marketing around all layers of protection, including flotation devices, must reflect accurate safety information for consumers. Misleading messaging can confuse consumers and create a false sense of security and confidence.

No. While some programs utilize flotation devices as a tool in formal lessons, there is no evidence a child will learn to swim independently and proficiently, or gain water competency by only using a flotation device.

No. Not all devices sold by retailers are tested and approved flotation devices. Devices that are not tested and approved should not be considered a safe layer of protection or be part of a family’s water safety plan. Flotation devices are tested and approved by the USCG based on their buoyancy and ability to protect someone while boating. USCG approval has nothing to do with use in swimming pools, and certainly not in relation to learning to swim. Many of the devices available from major online retailers for young children do not include information on testing and approval, meaning they have not been USCG tested and approved. Clear and accurate messaging is critical to ensure consumers use devices appropriately and do not overly rely on only one layer of protection.

USCG tested and approved flotation devices (lifejackets) should be worn by everyone, regardless of age, in open water and boating situations. Weak and non-swimmers should also wear tested and approved devices when they are around water and other layers of protection, such as supervision and barriers, are not in place.

No. The NDPA is not questioning or asking for any changes to the US Coast Guard PFD approval process. The NDPA recommends that families should only ever use flotation devices that have been tested and approved.

No. The NDPA is not asking for retailers to remove products from the marketplace. We are asking retailers to reexamine the language they use to market and sell children’s flotation devices. Simply put, flotation devices should not be equated to “learn to swim,” or with any suggestion that their use can be associated with a lesser degree of parent/caregiver supervision.

We are asking major retailers to closely examine the marketing and messaging being used around children’s flotation devices to ensure parents are not receiving inaccurate or misleading water safety information. Specifically, to eliminate messaging that any flotation device, USCG approved or not, is not a learn to swim product. The NDPA and the water safety community is here to help.

You can help by signing our letter and asking retailers to closely examine how puddle jumpers and other flotation devices are marketed on their websites. Please know that we are not asking for boycotts or social media shaming of companies mentioned as we believe that they – like too many of us – have been unaware of this issue. Instead, we aim to gather as many voices and signatures as possible.

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