Math homework that manipulates kids? No thanks!

Last week, CCFC led a coalition of 22 advocacy groups in filing a Federal Trade Commission complaint against Prodigy, one of the most manipulative educational games on the market. Our complaint details how the game worms its way into schools by claiming to be “free forever” while actually putting relentless pressure on kids to nag their parents for an expensive Prodigy membership!

In our research into Prodigy, we found many startling practices, including but not limited to:

• More advertisements than math. The free version is one long commercial for a paid version which costs $60 to $100 per year. When we played, we saw 16 ads - and only 4 math problems - in just 19 minutes of game time! 
• Constant teasing. Throughout the game, kids are shown two treasure chests - a boring wooden one and a sparkly one. If they click on the sparkly one, their choice is denied. Instead, they are told they can’t see what’s inside until they buy a membership. 
• Exacerbating inequalities. Whether playing at home or at school, kids can see who else they know has a membership and who doesn’t, plus all of the goodies that come with the subscription. Kids with premium memberships not only literally fly around in the clouds while those that don’t are stuck in the mud, they earn higher scores from completing the same tasks. 
• Excess screen time. Prodigy lures kids to spend hours in front of a screen with bells and whistles, shopping, and social media features. Unbelievably, Prodigy’s own research tells us that kids would need to do 888 math questions to increase their test scores by even just one measly point!
• Bad math. Prodigy’s math questions are buried under distractions instead of integrated into the fun play features of the game. So while Prodigy’s design may entice kids to play Prodigy and shop for their avatar, it does little to actually inspire kids to love math! 

And that’s not all. Our FTC complaint was followed up by strong action from Capitol Hill.  Two champions of protecting children online—Senator Ed Markey and Representative Kathy Castor—sent a letter urging the FTC to investigate the allegations raised in our complaint.  

Even though FTC investigations take time, you can get involved today! Use our list of 7 Reasons to Say No to Prodigy to spread the word to other parents, caregivers, and educators about the pitfalls of this “educational” app. Then, organize and get the word out! Our resource includes letter templates to ask your school to stop using Prodigy, social media shares, and more. We’ve made it easy for you to call for change in your community and say no to Prodigy!