Children subconsciously internalize the messages they see in advertisements.
Marketers advertise their products to children through television, the Internet, print media and movies. Nearly everywhere children look, corporate sponsorships bombard them. Children frequently view these ads while watching television. According to the Federal Communication Commission, as of 2008, children watch three hours of television a day. Corporate sponsors are discreetly hiding their messages in those ads -- messages that children are internalizing.
Food Advertising and Obesity
Nicki Kennedy, contributing author to the journal "CommLaw Conspectus," reports that obesity rates in children have more than doubled between 1965 and 2006. Children are inundated with food marketing. According to an article in "The New York Times," titled "U.S. Seeks New Limits on Food Ads for Children," the Federal Trade Commission estimated that food companies spent about $2.3 billion in 2006 for advertisements targeting children. Breakfast cereals, fast food restaurants and snacks feature predominantly in these ads. Most of those foods are high in chemicals, fat and sugars -- partly responsible for children's ballooning weight problems.
Consumerism
Advertisements directly target children because of their growing economic power. Marketers use subtle advertising to influence very young children. According to "Consumerism and its Dangers to Children: A Call for Regulation in Advertising," even children as young as 18 months old are able to distinguish popular brand names on toys. Children recognize the underlying messages of toy and clothing ads, wanting to be well-liked and attractive like the ads slyly insinuate. Parents are persuaded to buy the many goods and services advertised, contributing to a growing materialism in children.
Promotion of Sex Stereotyping
Childhood is a critical time for forming beliefs and values. Children internalize media messages they see when forming their ideas on sex roles and the concepts of masculinity and femininity. Media representation of separate sex roles for women and men is highly influential to children, even when they see a blurring of sex roles in their own homes. While viewing stereotypical advertising, children begin to associate gender with particular products and situations.
Tobacco and Alcohol Advertisements
Tobacco and alcohol may be legally available only to adults, but children and adolescents are abusing these substances partly as a result of advertising. Tobacco manufacturers are spending billions annually to advertise and promote their products. Many of their ads are directly aimed at adolescents. Sports channels support a heavy rotation of alcohol advertisements that children watch in between their favorite sports shows. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the decision to drink begins as early as elementary school, when many young viewers are being inundated with alcohol ads.
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