A
new report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has found that
fatal child drownings are on the rise
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has released a report reaffirming that extra vigilance
should be used when kids are around bodies of water. Drowning sadly remains the
leading cause of unintentional death among children aged 1 to 4. Generally,
these incidents occur in the summer at residential locations, but increased
adult supervision is, of course, necessary at all times and in all places.
CARU's guidelines require that adult supervision be depicted in advertisements featuring children swimming (or using waterslides) and takes this one especially seriously given the gravity of the situation. CARU has had several inquiries where children are not being supervised at a swimming pool. But companies need to make sure that parents shown for supervision purposes are really engaging with their children. Adults should not be shown focused on other activities like grilling or sunbathing. Furthermore, supervision should also be shown in scenarios where kids are using waterslides.
Pool Safely offers six simple steps in making sure your kids stay safe
while having fun and keeping cool:
1.
Never
leave a child unattended in or near water.
2.
Teach
children how to swim.
3.
Teach
children to stay away from drains in pools, hot tubs, etc.
4.
Ensure
all pools and spas both in your home or publicly have compliant drain covers.
5.
Install
proper barriers, covers and alarms on and around your pool and spa.
6.
Know
how to perform CPR on children and adults.
As always, we encourage our supporters to, when advertising pools
and waterslides directed at children, continue depicting attentive adults
actively engaged in supervising kids’ water safety.