How far do you think advertising influences children’s
perceptions of themselves?
According to Banaji (2010), children are more vulnerable
than adults to the effects of the media. As advertising intersects with
children’s emotions, desires, fantasies, aspirations and identities (Kenway and
Bullen; 2001), children of all ages are affected (Livingstone and Helsper;
2006). Living in the 21st century provides opportunities for
businesses to not just advertise their products on television, but also on the
radio, internet, posters, billboards etc. This amount of exposure means that it
is hard for anyone to avoid advertising.
Gunter, Oates and Blades (2005) state that children today are
exposed to a large number of television adverts trying to persuade them to
choose unhealthy snacks, with little emphasis on the alternative option of
healthy food. Lewis and Hill (1998) found that half of adverts aimed at children
in the UK concerned unhealthy food. According to Gunter et al (2005),
this heavy focus on advertising junk food could be one of the reasons childhood
obesity is rising. The use of celebrity within branding on products can also
have an effect on children. Gunter et al (2005) suggest that children today, particularly
girls, are ‘getting older younger’ and this is due to images they see on
television and in magazines of ‘the perfect model’. This has a negative impact
as it encourages children to critique how they look when they should be enjoying
the innocence of childhood.
Gunter et al (2005) suggest that a less controversial
example of advertising is toys as they are more age appropriate. However,
according to Nairn (2011), if advertisers give children a false sense of desire
for a toy and in the end their parents do not get it for them, they could face
being ‘brand bullied’ or left out for not having the latest product. Nairn goes
on to state how one of the major motivations for children today when buying products
is to not ‘appear poor’ to their peers. Therefore, she suggests that parents
talk to their children about the role of consumer goods.
Gunter et al (2005) pose the question of ‘Is it fair
to advertise to children unless they fully understand the intent of the
advertisers?’ Beder (2009) supports this by stating how advertising is
unethical as children cannot critically evaluate adverts. Consequently, Banaji
(2010) encourages teachers to educate children about being ‘Adwise’, therefore,
unpicking advertisements and their persuasive features to make them aware of
what the real aim is.
Banaji, S. (2010) ‘Analysing Advertisments in the
Classroom’ in Bazelgette, C. (Ed) Teaching Media in Primary Schools.
London: SAGE
Beder, S. (2009) This Little Kiddy Went to Market.
Gunter, B. Oates, C. and Blades, M. (2005) Advertising to
Children on TV. New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates pp1 – 13
Kenway, J. and Bullen, E. (2001) Consuming Children.
Livingstone, S. and Helsper, E. (2006) ‘Does Advertising
Literacy mediate the effects of Advertising on children? A critical examination
of two linked research literatures in relation to obesity and food choice’,
Journal of Communication, 56 (3):560 – 84.
Nairn, A. (2011) Compulsive Consumerism – Child Rearing
in the UK. New Left Project
I think that advertising to children allows them to create their own preferences and interests with in consumerism. Taking into consideration your point about how fair it is s to advertise to children without them understanding the full intentions of the producer, I agree that it could be seen as unethical, however children are exposed to adverts so early on, before reaching school and will already be influenced.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you about ethics. Some of these children may even become advertisers themselves as adults, so if we educate them about this, perhaps their outlooks established in school will influence the way we advertise in future.
ReplyDeleteAdvertising can be a very engaging and different way in which children can learn about literacy especially from a persuasive writing view point, but I do agree that it has to be looked at form an ethical side and choose carefully how we incorporate adverts into the classroom
ReplyDeleteI think that educating children on the ethical issues surrounding advertisements is a good idea as it will allow children to not just look at what is being advertised, but also the messages behind them and gives them a chance to refine their personal opinions on adverts and lead them to becoming independent learners and thinkers.
ReplyDelete