“We may in the next year or two be bringing other cases for similar kinds of brain training for children.” Booming Industry “We are hoping to crack down on overhyped claims in this area,” said Michelle Rusk, a lawyer in the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection. The Every Student Succeeds Act has created a tiered evidence structure to help states and districts evaluate programs’ effectiveness in nascent research areas like memory training, but actions against Lumosity and Jungle Rangers give warning to researchers and educators alike that the promise of some interventions can turn into hype. A judge found that the company’s in-house research did not prove its video games could “improve school, work, and athletic performance” or protect against cognitive impairments caused by attention deficit disorders, traumatic brain injury, pediatric chemotherapy, or adult dementia as its advertisements had claimed.Įarlier in the year, the FTC also settled with the Texas-based Focus Education, which inappropriately claimed its Jungle Rangers computer game had “scientifically proven memory- and attention-training exercises” that give students “the ability to focus, complete school work, homework, and to stay on task.” Last month, it announced a $2 million settlement and $50 million judgement for misleading advertising against Lumos Labs Inc., the creators of Lumosity, a suite of computer- and app-based brain-training programs.

Last year, the FTC declared open season on brain-training programs, both those directed at classrooms and for general public use. So-called “brain training” programs designed to help boost students’ attention and working memory are coming under scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, as some claims have outpaced both the initial hopes and subsequent evidence.

Lumosity brain games