Is it Ethical to Aim Advertising at Children?

These days it's natural that parents are concerned by the sheer amount of advertising that children are exposed to on a daily basis. After all, social scientists say that modern kids can recognise over 400 company brand names by the time they reach the age of ten.

A recent survey found that 84% of parents already think that too much advertising is aimed at kids. This statistic is perhaps not surprising considering that in the modern media landscape advertisers have more ways to reach kids than ever before. As well as the wealth of TV channels that cater solely for children (which are often watched by parents too) there is also advertising on the Internet to consider as well as traditional branded books and comics.

Why Children Matter to Advertisers

So why are children important to advertisers in the first place? Though they might not have much money to spend, they possess a powerful force that the advertising industry calls “pester power”. Children can be convinced by powerful advertising messages and then pester their parents to buy the toy, sweets or fast food meal that they’ve seen on TV. As well as influencing the spending of their parents (and making their own pocket money purchases) children are also valuable to the advertising industry as future consumers who will remain brand loyal to products if won over when young. That's why - especially in the UK - strict guidelines are in place to govern the content of adverts aimed at children placed on television, radio, or in print.

Online Advertising

While the regulations covering the content of children's advertising on TV tend to be quite strict, as yet advertising on the Internet is not officially regulated - despite the massive potential the medium offers for advertising to children. Some commentators are concerned about this lack of regulation, especially since young minds find it difficult to understand the difference between advertising and 'real' content. For example, colourful games on corporate sites aimed at children can be used to introduce characters used in advertising. The interactive element to the Internet also means that advertisers can develop a fairly sophisticated profile of children which can be used later on in life to sell them products. Young gamers may have to enter their age, name or email address before playing games on sites promoting a new product. This information is then recorded and used to send relevant marketing emails.

Parents are the Real Regulators

Though some critics may consider advertising to kids unethical, the sheer value of business generated by children means that we shouldn't expect the advertising to disappear anytime soon. Some commentators argue that adverts are a way to teach children about the adult world. By understanding what advertising is and how it works from a young age, children will be able to make informed consumer choices as they grow up. Whatever your opinion of that particular argument it's also important to remember that one set of regulators can have more influence with young consumers than all the government or industry bodies put together. It's parents who have the ultimate say over how much advertising their children see - and if they're concerned, the simple answer is to shut down the Internet, close the comic or switch over the TV.