TV Ads Target Vulnerable Kids
Children Are Being Sold Junk By Television Advertisers
Researchers estimate that the average child views 40,000 television commercials per year and that children influence parental spending to the tune of $670 billion (APA).
Advertisers understand that preschoolers are vulnerable to marketing. Young children consider commercials “public service” messages offering options rather than as messages designed to promote spending money.
Your preschool son or daughter will likely be able to distinguish a commercial from his or her favorite TV shows from an early age, but he or she will not understand the intent of such televised messages. Your child will see the short segments as mini programs featuring fun characters and products.
TV Commercials are Confusing for Youngsters
It is not surprising that commercials are confusing for young children. Advertisers focus on branding when promoting products for young children. Company characters (often animated) are featured and having fun is the message presented. In a recent study, researchers found that actual food was seldom shown on commercials for fast food restaurants. Your son or daughter isn’t being sold hamburgers and French fries. He or she is being sold a good play experience.
Products Marketed To Young Children on Television
Products marketed to children are another concern. Food is, by far, the most common type of product marketed to children as noted in a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Your child is inundated with commercials for fast food chains, sweetened breakfast cereals, snacks, and candy. Research indicates that marketed foods are almost exclusively high in fat, sugar, and/or sodium. Advertisers will add notes like "part of a balanced breakfast." Kids are not likely to note that the milk, juice, fruit and so on are what makes the breakfast balanced.
Toys are also "sold" to kids on television. The toys always look wonderful, and the television kids are having loads of fun. LIttle wonder that children beg for toys they see advertised on TV. Kids don't understand that batteries may be required or that the toy may need to be assembled. An advertiser is not going to say, "This toy is great fun for a few days. Then it gets dull and ends up in the bottom of the toy box."
Children’s Television Act (CTA)
In 1990, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) enacted the Children’s Television Act. The FCC required that television, cable and satellite providers air a specified amount of core programming with an educational/informational focus and that advertising be limited in shows designed for children.
Stations must air at least 3 hours of educational/informational designed for children ages 16 and under per week. Programs must be at least 30 minutes in length, shown between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. and be aired on a weekly basis.
For programs designed and aired for an audience under 12 years of age, commercials are limited to 10.5 minutes per hour on weekends and 12 minutes per hour during the week. While the limits are helpful, they do not address the content provided by advertisers and how much of that content is presented.
