Hopefully a tool like this will give grieving parents some sort of relief during such a difficult time.
We’ve all searched for products online only for ads that match our one-off search to follow us around for quite some time after.
Ads networks collect data from each search to send ads of similar products long after you key it in to your search engine.
But while ads for the likes of a new mop or hairdryer are easily dismissible, ads for baby products can be extremely upsetting for parents who’ve experienced pregnancy or baby loss.
Ads promoting infant-related products like cots or onesies can crop up for grieving parents out of the blue and be triggering to them, or prolong their grieving process.
A new online tool is aiming to alleviate parents’ grief in blocking ads for such products.
The Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) network at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital has created a browser plugin to block baby ads as part of their #UnsilenceTheConversation campaign, which hopes to lift the lid on the grief of baby loss.
The plugin, for browsers Chrome and Firefox, can be downloaded to computers and phones from the #UnsilenceTheConversation website.
Once installed, opening the plugin gives instructions on how to update ad settings and unsubscribe from any baby-related ads.
The opt-out can be applied to the platforms of Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and email, though each platform must be done individually.
Hopefully the innovative tool makes life a little bit easier for grieving parents.
