In: Psychology
How does Advertisment hurt the kids you love? Marketing to children is unfair: Kids are more vulnerable than adults. Their developing brains are no match for today’s invasive and sophisticated advertising.
It undermines parents: Getting children to nag is a common marketing strategy. And it works! Nagging accounts for one in three trips to fast food restaurants.
It glamorizes greed: The false message of advertising — that what we buy will make us happy — leads to excessive and unsustainable consumption.
It encourages unhealthy eating: How effective is junk food marketing? Very! Preschool children report that food in McDonald’s wrapping tastes better — even when it’s not from McDonald’s!
It glorifies violence: Research links media violence to aggression, desensitization and fear, yet violent movies, TV programs and video games are marketed to kids as young as preschoolers.
It distorts body image: From impossibly thin dolls to bulked up action figures to digitally enhanced fashion models, marketers sell kids on unhealthy physical aspirations.
It sexualizes kids:Even very young children are bombarded with graphic media and marketing that encourage girls to focus primarily on appearance and sex appeal.
Discussion: Which effect in this list had a significant impact on your own childhood or adolescence? In what way? Explain how you experienced this effect and what you can do as a person to protect children from this effect in the future.