Lumosity to Pay $2 Million to Settle FTC Deceptive Advertising Charges for "Brain Training” Program

[progressoid]

The creators and marketers of the Lumosity “brain training” program have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges alleging that they deceived consumers with unfounded claims that Lumosity games can help users perform better at work and in school, and reduce or delay cognitive impairment associated with age and other serious health conditions.

As part of the settlement, Lumos Labs, the company behind Lumosity, will pay $2 million in redress and will notify subscribers of the FTC action and provide them with an easy way to cancel their auto-renewal to avoid future billing.

“Lumosity preyed on consumers’ fears about age-related cognitive decline, suggesting their games could stave off memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s disease,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “But Lumosity simply did not have the science to back up its ads.

...https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/01/lumosity-pay-2-million-settle-ftc-deceptive-advertising-charges

[boobooday]

1. Those ads...

Full of attractive, empty-eyed people implying you could increase your intelligence without having to do anything so hard an icky as reading books!

[honeylady]

2. I've been doing Luminosity for two years

and absolutely love it. It has improved my math skills and my ability to think fast on my feet a lot. The first thing I noticed was an improvement in my memory. I do find it addictive and have to take a break every now and then. I would recommend it for someone who wants to exercise their brain. The very best thing it did for me was improve my ability to do math. I was asleep during my entire school career when being taught math. I had to add on my fingers. Now I don't even need a calculator anymore.
I recommend it if you have the time to get hooked into all their fun games.

[femmocrat]

3. I did the free offer when I was "laid up" awhile ago.

I enjoyed it too and got very good at some of the games. It was a pleasant diversion from TV and reading all the time.

I seem to remember that Theresa Heinz Kerry used it when recovering from a seizure.

Welcome to DU, honeylady.