Consumer News: Hackers have a new target: School children

The average family spent $1,016 on a childs primary sport in 2024

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• American families spent an average of $1,016 on a childs primary sport in 2024, up 46% from 2019, according to the Aspen Institute.

• Youth sports have evolved into a multibillion-dollar industry fueled by club teams, travel tournaments, private coaching, apparel companies, tech platforms and private-equity investment.

• Parents continue paying rising costs because they see sports as an investment in college opportunities, physical health, social development and future success even though only a small percentage of athletes receive scholarships or turn professional.

For generations, youth sports in America meant neighborhood Little League games, volunteer coaches and inexpensive recreation programs run through schools or local parks departments.

Today, that model is rapidly disappearing.

In its place is a sprawling youth sports economy that increasingly resembles professional athletics complete with corporate sponsors, elite travel teams, private trainers, national tournaments and year-round specialization.

As a result, families now spend thousands of dollars every year to keep children competitive, transforming what was once a community pastime into what many experts describe as a pay-to-play system.

The numbers are staggering. The Aspen Institutes Project Play initiative found that the average family spent $1,016 on a childs primary sport in 2024, a 46% increase over five years. Some club sports cost far more.

Surveys and industry reports show that competitive travel teams in sports such as baseball, soccer, volleyball, gymnastics and hockey can easily cost families between $5,000 and $10,000 annually once tournament travel, equipment and private instruction are included.

At the same time, participation has continued to rebound after the pandemic. More than half of American children ages sixto 17 now play organized sports, according to federal data cited by Project Play.

That combination rising demand and soaring costs has turned youth sports into one of the fastest-growing sectors in the recreation economy while producing a growing burden for parents.

Why costs keep rising

Experts point to several overlapping forces behind the explosion in spending. One major factor is the rise of club and travel sports. Instead of seasonal community leagues, many young athletes now compete on elite teams that travel regionally or nationally for tournaments nearly year-round. Families pay for hotels, airfare, fuel, meals and tournament entry fees on top of team dues.

Another driver is early specialization. Increasingly, children are encouraged to focus on one sport at younger ages, often requiring year-round coaching, conditioning programs and private lessons.

Facilities themselves have also become more elaborate and expensive. Massive tournament complexes featuring turf fields, indoor courts, livestreaming systems and recruiting showcases have spread nationwide. Many are financed by private investors attracted to the industrys growth potential.

Technology has added another layer of expense. Families now routinely pay for recruiting platforms, video-analysis subscriptions, performance tracking apps and AI-powered coaching tools.

Families may pay the price because of dreams of a professional career that would create generational wealth. Professional basketball and baseball contracts routinely pay tens of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, very few young athletes make it to the pro level.

Who profits from the boom?

The beneficiaries extend far beyond coaches and leagues. Private-equity firms and venture-capital investors have poured money into youth sports businesses in recent years, viewing the sector as a reliable source of recurring consumer spending.

Sports complexes profit from tournament hosting fees and hotel partnerships. Apparel companies sell specialized gear and uniforms. Training academies market private instruction.

Tech companies monetize scheduling apps, livestreaming services and recruiting platforms. Hotels, restaurants and tourism agencies also benefit when tournaments bring thousands of traveling families into a city for a weekend.

The industry has grown so large that some estimates now place the youth sports economy at roughly $40 billion annually. That figure rivals or exceeds revenues generated by some major professional sports leagues.

The company was accused of exposing detailed information about the movements of millions of Americans

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• The FTC has reached a proposed settlement with data broker Kochava and its subsidiary, Collective Data Solutions, that would bar them from selling sensitive location data without consumers explicit consent.

• Regulators alleged the companies sold precise geolocation data from hundreds of millions of mobile devices, enabling tracking of visits to reproductive health clinics, addiction treatment centers, places of worship and domestic violence shelters.

• The settlement marks the latest escalation in the FTCs crackdown on the commercial trade in sensitive consumer location data.

The Federal Trade Commission has taken action to block data broker Kochava and its subsidiary from selling sensitive location data after accusing the companies of exposing detailed information about the movements of millions of Americans.

Under a proposed settlement filed in federal court, Idaho-based Kochava and its subsidiary, Collective Data Solutions (CDS), would be prohibited from selling, licensing, transferring or otherwise disclosing sensitive geolocation data unless consumers provide affirmative express consent and the information is used to deliver a service the consumer specifically requested.

The FTC originally sued Kochava in 2022, alleging the company collected and sold precise location data from hundreds of millions of mobile devices through data feeds marketed to advertisers and other clients.

According to the agency, the data could be used to trace individuals to sensitive locations, including reproductive health clinics, addiction recovery centers, religious institutions and shelters for victims of domestic violence.

The agency says consumers were in the dark

Regulators said consumers often were unaware that their location information was being bought and sold and had little ability to prevent its use. The FTC argued the practice exposed people to potential harms, including stalking, discrimination and threats to personal safety.

The proposed order would also require Kochava and CDS to implement measures governing the handling of sensitive location information, including consumer consent verification and controls on data retention and disclosure.

Collective Data Solutions has since taken over Kochavas data broker business, according to the FTC.

The settlement is part of a broader FTC campaign targeting the location data brokerage industry. In recent years, the agency has taken action against several other firms accused of collecting and selling sensitive location information tied to healthcare facilities, military bases and religious organizations.

Privacy advocates say the Kochava case could have broader implications for the data broker industry because it reinforces regulators position that precise geolocation data can constitute highly sensitive personal information even when not directly tied to a persons name.

The authorization allows the products to be marketed to adults aged 21 and older

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• The FDA has authorized four new electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products for sale in the U.S., bringing the total number of authorized vaping products to 45.

• The newly approved products include fruit- and menthol-flavored e-cigarettes made by Los Angeles-based Glas.

• Public health advocates criticized the move, warning the products could increase youth vaping despite FDA safeguards.

During the first Trump administration, health officials cracked down on vaping, especially flavored vapes popular with teenagers. In the second administration, officials are taking a different tack.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the number of legally marketed vaping products in the United States by authorizing four new electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products from vape manufacturer Glas.

The agency said the authorization allows the products to be marketed to adults aged 21 and older after determining that the products met the legal standard of being appropriate for the protection of public health. The FDA stressed that the authorization applies only to the specific Glas products reviewed and does not represent a blanket approval for other vaping products made by the company.

With the latest decision, the FDA has now authorized 45 ENDS products for sale in the U.S. The authorized products are currently the only vaping products that may be legally marketed nationwide under FDA rules.

Age-verification tech

According to the FDA, the newly authorized products include mango, blueberry, and menthol-flavored vaping products. The agency'sreview found that age-restriction technology and marketing limitations could help reduce youth access to the products. The system requires users to verify their age with government-issued identification and pair the vaping device with a smartphone using Bluetooth technology.

FDA officials described the technology as a potential breakthrough in limiting underage vaping. Bret Koplow, acting director of the FDAs Center for Tobacco Products, said device access restrictions are a potential game changer in helping prevent youth use.

The decision marks the first time the FDA has authorized fruit-flavored vaping products, signaling a significant shift in the agencys approach to regulating flavored e-cigarettes. In previous years, the FDA rejected more than one million flavored vaping products because of concerns that they appealed to teenagers.

Pushback from anti-tobacco groups

The authorization immediately drew criticism from anti-tobacco groups. Theywarned that this could reverse the progress our nation has made in reducing youth e-cigarette use.

Public health organizations also urged the FDA to closely monitor how the products are marketed and used.

The FDA emphasized that no tobacco product is safe and warned that people who do not currently use tobacco products should not start. The agency also said it will continue enforcement efforts against unauthorized vaping products, including operations targeting illegal imports and retailers selling products that appeal to youth.

Amazons best deals arent on the homepage heres where theyre hiding

• Use Amazon Outlet: Find overstocks and clearance deals in the hard-to-find Outlet with discounts often reaching 30%70% off the original price.

• Stack extra savings: Try to combine sale prices with Amazons hidden coupon page and promo codes for even bigger discounts.

• Shop Amazon Resale: Open-box and returned items in Like New condition can offer major savings for much less. (And there's no-risk, as you have a 30-day return window.

Shopping for clearance deals on Amazon can often feel like a no-win game. You search deals, scroll forever, and still end up paying close to full priceor the sale price is the same price its been for sixmonths.

But the truth is Amazon does actually have a solid clearance system; its just scattered across multiple hidden sections. Once you know where to look, you can consistently find 30%70% off without relying on Prime Day to make it happen.

Heres the smart shoppers Amazon playbook.

Start with Amazons hidden Outlet

Most people never find this or dont even know it exists.

Amazons Outlet section is where overstock items go when Amazon is trying to clear out inventory. Think of it like a physical outlet store, except its all online.

In the Outlet youll find:

• Brand-new items (not used)
• Seasonal clearance
• Overstock from big brands
• Discounts often up to 70% off

They dont really advertise the Outlet on their homepage. Heres how to find it:

• Search Amazon Outlet in that actual Amazon search bar
• Or go to Todays Deals then tap on Overstock Deals or Outlet

Some of the top brands you can find in the Amazon Outlet include Apple, Adidas, Calvin Klein, KitchenAid, Nike, UGG, JBL, and Kate Spade.

Stack deals with their secret coupon page

Even fewer shoppers know about the coupon section on Amazon.

Amazon has a hidden digital coupons page where you can clip extra discounts before checkout. They make no mention of this coupon section on the homepage, and most shoppers have no idea it exists.

What makes their coupons powerful:

• Coupons stack on top of sale prices
• Discounts apply instantly at checkout
• New coupons rotate constantly

How to use it:

• Visitthis page and bookmark it, or search Amazon Coupon before you shop.
• Once you're on the coupon page, you can filter your search by category or price.
• On the product page, click the Coupon price" box to activate the offer (see screenshot above).

Im a huge fan of the website Koupon.ai as they do a great job posting and verifying Amazon promo codes in real-time. They categorize all the Amazon products that currently have a coupon available, andthis makes it very easy to find 30-50% off deals on the products youre shopping for.

Also, if a promo code is tested and found to not be working, its removed instantly from their site and app.

Use Amazon Resale for open-box steals

Amazon Resale is where some of the biggest clearance discounts tend to live.

The Resale section on Amazon sells the following:

• Returned items
• Open-box products
• Slightly imperfect items

Discounts often hit 30%70% off the retail price and some with the same 30-day Amazon return window.

Why it works:

• Many items are basically new.
• Amazon inspects and grades the condition so you know what youre getting.
• The return policy still applies.

Pro tip: Filter for Used Like New or Used Very Good condition first. Thats where you get near-perfect items at deep discounts.

Use the '% off'Amazon search trick

This is one of the most underused Amazon search hacks.

You can actually force Amazon to show you only heavily discounted items by editing the URL on your desktop or laptop.

For example:

After doing a search on Amazon, try adding &pct-off=50- to the end of the URL (in your browser search bar) to see all the items being sold at 50% off or more.

Or add &pct-off=70-90 to find extreme 70-90% off clearance items.

Pro tip: Try combining this hack with category searches like:

• kitchen &pct-off=60-
• headphones &pct-off=50-

Youll find that by adding this, it often cuts out 90% of the junk listings instantly.

Time your shopping withclearance patterns

Amazon doesnt run traditional markdown schedules, but clearance patterns still exist.

Here are the best times to find clearance items:

• JanuaryFebruary: Post-holiday returns (huge Resale inventory spike)
• End of quarters (March, June, Sept, Dec): Inventory cleanup leads to Outlet deals
• Before new product launches: This is when older models tend to get discounted the most.

Clearance isnt always about one big sale, but more about understanding inventory shifts and timing your purchases around them.

The bottom line

Amazon isnt lacking in deals. Its just hiding them, as the company wouldrather have you pay full-price.

The key is to get in the habit of checking:

• The Amazon Outlet
• Their coupons page
• Amazon Resale deals

Now that you know where to look, youll consistently find clearance-level prices without waiting for Prime Day.

And once you get the system down, youll find that it only takes minutes to find the real deals.