“Advertising Targeted Specifically to Children Should Be Banned�?. Essay Example
“Advertising targeted specifically to children should be banned”.
Why should such a radical proposition be considered?
To what extent would it be possible to enforce such a ban?
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Meet the TWEENS of Today: Energetic, enthusiastic, they have grown up faster, more connected, more direct and more informed. They have more personal power, more money, and more attention focused on them than any other generation before them. Gone are the days when were made of sugar and spice and all things nice, and boys were made of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails.
Today’s generation, the KGOY (Kids Grow Up Young) generation has been tagged as the 'age of compression'. It influences spending of up to US $600 billion a year, and affecting close to 60 per cent of all brand decisions taken by their parents. Not surpris¬ingly, the tweens of today are exposed to around 40,000 commercials a year [Brand Child, Martin Lindstrom].
Brands are more popular among today's tweens. They have become an integral part of the way they define themselves. It's the way they express who they are at home, at school, at parties and even on the Net. It has become a part of their existence. Children have viewed an estimated 360,000 advertisements on television before graduating from high school. Additional exposures include advertisements on the radio, in print media, on public transportation, and billboards.
Is it fair to advertise to children, who are said to be sometimes unable to distinguish between reality and fiction and between entertainment and advertising? A supposed consequence of advertising is that children are being persuaded to demand things that they don't need and to adopt consumerist values, lifestyles and attitudes in their formative years.
There have been numerous studies documenting that young children under 8 years of age are unable to understand the intent of ad¬vertisements. They accept advertising
Why should such a radical proposition be considered?
To what extent would it be possible to enforce such a ban?
____________________________________________________________
____
Meet the TWEENS of Today: Energetic, enthusiastic, they have grown up faster, more connected, more direct and more informed. They have more personal power, more money, and more attention focused on them than any other generation before them. Gone are the days when were made of sugar and spice and all things nice, and boys were made of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails.
Today’s generation, the KGOY (Kids Grow Up Young) generation has been tagged as the 'age of compression'. It influences spending of up to US $600 billion a year, and affecting close to 60 per cent of all brand decisions taken by their parents. Not surpris¬ingly, the tweens of today are exposed to around 40,000 commercials a year [Brand Child, Martin Lindstrom].
Brands are more popular among today's tweens. They have become an integral part of the way they define themselves. It's the way they express who they are at home, at school, at parties and even on the Net. It has become a part of their existence. Children have viewed an estimated 360,000 advertisements on television before graduating from high school. Additional exposures include advertisements on the radio, in print media, on public transportation, and billboards.
Is it fair to advertise to children, who are said to be sometimes unable to distinguish between reality and fiction and between entertainment and advertising? A supposed consequence of advertising is that children are being persuaded to demand things that they don't need and to adopt consumerist values, lifestyles and attitudes in their formative years.
There have been numerous studies documenting that young children under 8 years of age are unable to understand the intent of ad¬vertisements. They accept advertising