Zachary DePiore
zacharydepiore@gmail.com
This week, there was an article we had to read for class that focused on advertisements that specifically target children. This is unethical for a multitude of reasons. A very common product advertised to kids in America is unhealthy food. The unhealthy foods marketed to kids ranges anywhere from sugary breakfast cereal to desserts to fried food. The website obesityaction.org has horrifying statistics to prove these claims. According to this website, nearly two billion dollars was spent on advertisements to children in 2009. Over ninety-nine percent of these ads that were marketed towards kids were selling sugary drinks and fast food. Less than one percent of these ads marketed fruits and vegetables to kids.
According to the same website, television is only one of the many ways that advertisers can reach out to kids. Companies also campaign within their communities and places they go to often (such as school). Perhaps the most popular form of advertising that acts as an alternative to television is advertising on the Internet. Obesityaction.org explained that kids spend at least an hour and forty-six minutes a day on the Internet, making it a perfect place to advertise products. Many food brands have even crafted specific websites specifically for children. These websites usually include various virtual games and interactive activities.
Not only this, but kids are shown in studies to have less awareness towards perceiving advertisements in general. This makes kids particularly vulnerable to advertisements. According to the website raisingchildren.net.au, children who are between the ages of three and six can't discern between entertainment and advertisements on YouTube. This can contribute to children blurring these two things together, making it even more difficult to differentiate between them. This also means that companies are trying to program people to associate entertainment and advertisements at a young age.
This is unacceptable. It's crucial for young kids to get instructed on healthy eating habits. That way, health consciousness starts at an early age and they can be healthier for a longer amount of time, perhaps throughout their entire lives. The fact that companies are purposely and knowingly marketing unhealthy food products to kids is heinous, but it's not surprising. However, the fact that it's not surprising definitely doesn't make it any less ethical.
We shouldn't let this lack of surprise stop us from taking action against these advertisements. There needs to be more governmental regulations placed on food companies to treat children more ethically.
I like your comment about how you connected it back to research saying that some advertisements promote unhealthy food eating habits that are targeted towards children.
ReplyDeleteWow very interesting. When I was a kid I remember seeing so many sugary cereal ads and TV food ads with so many added chemicals, but they were so attractive to me because of the fun colors and obnoxious sounds that advertisers used. I think there should be regulations on what types of foods we advertise to children on TV.
ReplyDeleteAs technology is now everywhere, consequently so is advertising. This makes it more difficult for parents to keep their children from being exposed to unwanted content. As technology grows, so should the responsibilities that come with it.
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