Yes, many people love kittens, but the target customer for a kitten-themed cartoon mobile phone game is somewhat younger than the target customer for hormonal birth control devices. There are exceptions, and some overlap between the two categories, but those are generally different audiences. Why, then, did an ad pop up that led an 8-year-old girl to ask her mom some very understandable questions about NuvaRing?

It won’t be long before this little girl will be old enough to need this information, but the more important question is why there are birth control ads being served up in a kitten-raising game? The girl’s uncle brought this quandary to Michael Carney at PandoDaily, who in turn asked the game’s maker what the deal was with the ad, and how many 8-year-olds have a “birth control routine.” Maybe just that first part. The company, Outfit7, promised that they “take this matter seriously and are committed to producing family-friendly gaming,” and that the ad was indeed inappropriate for the game and posted there in error. That was good to know, but the family won’t let their daughter play that app anymore.

To keep your kids away from potentially inappropriate ads, maybe it’s a better idea to avoid free ad-supported games altogether. You avoid ads and get fewer upsells, even if it does limit the selection of games that your child can play.

“Mommy, what’s birth control?” – How this kids’ kitten game crossed the line with an adult in-app ad [PandoDaily]

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