1

Student’s Last Name

Advertizing to Kids Should be Illegal

Jane Doe

English 110

Ms. Randi Brummett De Leon

November 4, 2005


In the present inundation of teen movies, MySpace, MTV, and Hannah Montana, consumer culture is a clearly influential and controversial aspect of modern childhood. In the 1990’s, Elliott Currie and Jerome H. Skolnick contend in their article “Reading, Writing and... Buying?” that kids aged four to twelve tripled their spending to 24.4 billion dollars. Furthermore, children-influenced purchases totaled nearly eight times that amount (Currie and Skolnick 351). With this magnification of children’s spending power, a plethora of advertisements aiming at kids has erupted, saturating kids in branding and marketing reaching unprecedented forms. These tactics are leading to numerous disorders such as anxiety, depression, excessive materialism, over-eating, increased promiscuity, eating disorders, and low self esteem. Although some may argue advertising is an essential component to a free market, or that they serve monetary purposes, advertisements targeting children ought to be prohibited due to the consequences of psychological and behavioral disorders.

Until roughly eight years old, a child lacks the cognitive development to critically evaluate and assess media matter. To an adult, a commercial may be clearly imploring the audience to buy a product. But to a child, the persuasive aspect is not recognized and misleading or deceptive information is accepted as fact value. An American Academy of Pediatrics organized publication, Pediatrics, avows in an article, “Children, Adolescents, and Advertising,” by Donald Shifrin, that on television alone, kids see about 400,000 of these advertisements annually, allowing for an overabundance of illusive material kids believe as truth (Shifrin, par. 5). Furthermore, children do not yet comprehend the value of money, or a commercial’s intent to get the child to buy (or ask their parents for) the product in which is advertised. Informed parents can learn to monitor and police the amount of ads their children are exposed to, thus protecting them from marketers that prey on vulnerability of naivety. Ethics is related to the consumerism and commodification of kids in that these marketers exploit innocent children who are not yet capable of making logical and educated purchasing decisions in an attempt to increase sales, and sculpt a loyal customer. The ads cause serious behavioral and psychological disorders, allowing advertisers to maliciously rape kids of their childhood.

Some people disagree with the notion of prohibiting advertisements aimed at children. One opposing argument is that in a free market, deregulation is necessary; in other words, the merchant has the right and the freedom to advertise to any demographic group they so choose. Not allowing these marketers to target children, some would argue, infringes on principles of a free market.

However, due to the vitality of this period in which kids learn essential values and principles, and life in general, the rights of the children and their parents take priority over, and are more important than, the profitability of the merchants.

Others may find the connection in the increase of psychological and behavioral disorders merely coincidence, or find the ads not at fault. Often the proponents for advertising to children are economists, and marketers.

These people are acting in self-interest, and are not qualified to interpret the effects of the advertisement laden world on a child. The overwhelming data concluding the connection between the two, disorders and advertisements, discount this argument from being convincing. For instance, Shifrin asserts, two significant longitudinal studies found that roughly one third of all adolescent smoking can be attributed to tobacco advertising and promotions. Furthermore, more than twenty separate studies have found children exposed to tobacco related ads have a higher probability of becoming smokers (Shifrin). Moreover, Juliet Schor, a recognized expert on consumerism and economics, avows nearly seven in ten parents report their children define their self-worth by their possessions more than the parents did at their age (Schor 37).

Another argument against the prohibition of children’s ads is that without the advertising, there would be no children’s shows. The lack of monetary support from the agencies to the children’s networks poses a very good argument. However, the argument that children’s shows would cease to exist without compensation from the advertisers is neither relevant nor accurate; it does not change the harmful consequences. It is not inconceivable that parents would pay more than basic cable premiums to keep their kids free of such harmful commercials.

In addition, some say advertisements to children allow kids to select products they desire, making gift shopping easier. In essence, the profusion of products offered for children requires advertising, and allows them to become knowledgeable about the availability of products, providing “more informed” purchases. Firstly, if a parent doesn’t know their child well enough to recognize what they would and would not like when gift shopping, there is a serious problem in the family, which is a completely separate matter immaterial to children consumption. Toys stores offer the same availability of choices without negatively affecting the child.

Children are the future, and it is important to ensure they grow in a healthy and safe environment. Exploiting them for financial gains is irresponsible, and wrong. Legislation and parental monitoring must take place to guarantee tyrant advertisers and marketers do not rob children of learning essential coping skills during the most crucial time in their lives. The culture in which has developed in the rampant consumerism of children endangers the way in which children learn significance and worth.

Works Cited

Schor, Juliet B. Born to Buy : The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture. New York: Scribner, 2004.

Shifrin, Donald L., et al. "Children, Adolescents, and Advertising." Pediatrics 118.12 (2006): 2563-569. Pediatrics. 06 Dec. 2006. American Academy of Pediatrics. 23 Oct. 2008 <http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/6/2563>.

Currie, Elliott, and Jerome H. Skolnick. "Reading, Writing, and... Buying?" Crisis in American Institutions. New York: Longman, 2006. 350-355.