How to Discuss Advertising With Your Children

In many ways advertising to kids is like the elephant that sits in the living room, but which nobody comments on. Those sickly-sweet animations, annoying jingles and whiter-than-white TV families - though irritating at first - eventually just start to blend into the background. This is exactly what advertisers want. Because adverts blend into the fabric of everyday life the methods advertisers use aren't subject to proper scrutiny, leaving kids vulnerable to the increasing number of marketing messages aimed directly at them.

Luckily, though advertisers have huge resources, parents can still help make sure that advertising doesn't damage their kids by employing one of the most natural techniques of all - talking to children.

Parent Power

Though some may doubt it when they're trying to get a two year old to eat their greens - parents are still have more influence than the TV over their children's behaviour. Talking to children from a young age about advertising means they'll be able to better understand exactly what advertising is, and the methods it uses to try and persuade us to part with cash. It may not stop your seven-year-old throwing a tantrum because they haven't got the latest heavily-advertised toy, but it will help them grow into advertising-savvy adults.

Tips For Talking To Children About Advertising

Start early. Research suggests that very young children don't understand the difference between TV programming and advertising. While toddlers are not going to be able to work out what advertising is, they can learn to treat it differently to their favourite shows. For instance, when watching TV with your toddler, try distracting them with a book or toy during the commercial breaks. This will help suggest that the ad breaks are inferior to what has been onscreen before.
Try talking back to the ads. Children will learn to critically evaluate advertising claims from an early age if they receive cues from their parents. Gentle questions like 'Why do you think that family are so happy?' and 'Why does that cartoon character like that cereal?' can entertain children and get them actively thinking rather than passively watching.
Compare the content of adverts with real life equivalents. This technique works especially well with older children just starting to find out that products might not be quite as exciting as they appear in the ads. For example, talk about how adverts use music and actors to make even boring products (e.g. toilet cleaner) look fun. Compare the ads with the (actually fairly dull) products that you buy every week in the supermarket.
Go advert spotting. On the way to school or the park see how many adverts you and your child can spot. Discuss which ones were your favourite and why. This activity helps even young kids realise just how many adverts are out there - and how they use different techniques to get their messages across.

Of course, dealing positively with adverts is just one of the ways children have to learn to negotiate modern life. Still - by talking to your children you can ensure that by the time their teenage years roll around, they'll be able to arm themselves against the advertisers' worst excesses.