Do Advertisements Influence America's Youth

Do advertisements really influence America’s youth? According to many pediatricians, “Research has shown that young children – younger than 8 years old – are cognitively and psychologically defenseless against advertising” (“Children, Adolescents, and Advertising,” 2006). Children see advertisements of different things almost everywhere they go. Two types of advertisements that kids may come in contact with on a daily basis are fast food advertisements and advertisements that encourage them to look or behave a certain way. In today’s society, with the help of TV commercials, magazine ads, and the internet, children are constantly in the world of advertisements (“Children, Adolescents, and Advertising,” 2006). This is an issue that needs to
The causes of self-image issues, especially those in girls, can be traced back to a young age (Roberts, 2013). These seemingly harmless advertisements can cause many problems such as shame, anxiety, eating disorders, and depression (Roberts, 2013). How could an advertisement for a child’s toy cause such negative consequences? The image at the top of the next page of a Bratz advertisement shows the unattainable physical qualities that the dolls are showing to be the “norm” for young
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness…” (Matt 6:22-23 English Standard Version). Before scientists even began to study the link between advertisements and the behavior of America’s youth, Jesus knew the effects the things we see have on people. Jesus knew that things we see, like advertisements, form pictures in our brain that could cause us to act upon them which is why parents should be cautious of the advertisements their children are