Should Advertising Aimed at Children Be Regulated by Law?

should advertising aimed at children be regulated by law?

Advertisements are a form of communication used to persuade audiences around the world. Advertisements can be found on television, on the internet and radio, in magazines, and even lining the walls of most schools. Most commonly, companies use advertisement Views: 403

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s to persuade or increase consumption of a product or service to consumers; however, in today's society advertisers are targeting younger generations. The typical American child watches on average 1,500 hours of television a year, 1,680 minutes of television a week, and watches 20,000 30-second television commercials a year (Stewart). I believe this easy exposure may negatively affect adolescent viewers and that laws should regulate the amount and content of advertisements that portray negative materials for young viewers.

Before looking at how advertisements can affect young children, we must first look at why advertisers choose to direct their ads toward them. On average, children view fifty-five commercials a day. During the time they are watching television they are introduced to a number of new products: toys, video games, food products, etc. Most children will find these products appealing and find themselves wishing, wanting, and begging their parents for what the advertisement introduced them too. Advertisers choose children to entertain with their product information because they are so persuasive and will spend money on merchandises that they find fascinating. Surprisingly, many children do not look to their parents for assistance when purchasing new items. Instead they use money they earn from doing chores, getting good grades, or other jobs they obtain (Snyder et al).

Many parents have mixed feeling about television. Many find it disturbing as to what their children may be seeing or the behaviors that advertisers portray while others find it useful as it aids them by keeping their children occupied (Frank 3). Studies have found that parents spend, on average, only three and a half minutes a week having a meaningful conversation with their children (Stewart). With the large amount of children whose lives or free-time has been consumed