Reflection 2 / For WIZARD KIM
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Week6Assignment.pptxAdvertising to Children
Casey Lee
American Public University
BUSN410: Critical Thinking for Business Decisions
01/08/2020
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Advertising to children
Advertisers face an ethical dilemma as they market to children.
They are trying to make sales while at the same time, manipulate young, impressionable children (Harris, 2009).
Children feel that they need the comfort and status that comes from the products that are being advertised.
When doing advertisements to children, advertisers should avoid crossing the ethical lines (Kraak, 2010).
Many advertisers are faced by ethical dilemma as they market to children. They try to impress children and make them desire the status and comfort displayed. Advertisers should avoid crossing ethical path.
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Arguments against advertising to children
Frustration of parents
Children pressure parents to buy them the products they saw in the advertisements.
Some parents tend to give in to the demands of the children so that they can satisfy them (Harris, 2009).
They want to make their children fit with others who have such items in school.
Some of the parents do not even have the money to buy the things demanded by their children.
It has been observed that some of the parents borrow money to make their children happy
On the other hand, some of the parents may refuse to buy the products.
One of the arguments against advertisements to children is frustration to parents. There are parents who give in to the demands of their children so as to satisfy them. However, some do not give in to the children’s demands.
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Altering opinion
Advertisements shape the opinion of children on specific issues.
For example, advertisements related to alcohol make children admire to enjoy alcohol also (Harris, 2009).
Such adverts make children start abusing drugs.
In the long run, it becomes difficult for children to leave such behaviors (Gunter, 2019).
Parents get stressed due to the bad behavior of their children. That is why some get hypertension.
A lot of resources are used by parents to take their children to rehabilitation centers to try and make them reform.
Some of the children relapse even after being taken to rehabilitation centers.
The opinion of children is shaped by the adverts they see on television. That is why some of them indulge in drugs and substance abuse.
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Damage to the health of children
Some advertisements lure children into eating unhealthy products.
Processed foods are advertised in a way that makes them delectable (Kraak, 2010).
Consumption of such foods is making children suffer from nutrient deficiencies.
Besides, they also suffer from obesity.
Studies done have shown that the rate of obesity among children is increasing at an alarming rate (Gunter, 2019).
Actions need to be taken to curb this issue so that the prevalence of lifestyle diseases can be reduced.
In addition, the health of children is affected when they eat unhealthy foods being advertised. That is why lifestyle diseases are on the rise.
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Materialism
Television advertisements make children believe that they must always have such products for them to feel happy and satisfied (Gunter, 2019).
They become sad and angry when they cannot access such items.
This makes children develop with a culture of materialism.
Violence
Some advertisements display violent acts. Thus, children adopt such behaviors (Harris, 2009).
They become harsh violence against other children.
The other consequence of advertisement to children is materialism. Children develop a culture if only being happy when they have access to certain items. Also, the advertisements make children to be violent.
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Arguments for advertisement to children.
Creation of awareness to consumers
Advertisements are meant to create awareness on certain products.
Children are also part of consumers since there are products intended to be for them exclusively (Gunter, 2009).
Such products include study materials.
Learning skills
Advertisements make children learn about various things.
Children nowadays cannot be persuaded easily since they are smart.
One of the arguments for advertisement to children is creation of awareness to children since they are part of consumers. Children of nowadays are also not easily manipulated because they are intelligent.
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Learning skills
Advertisements make children learn about various things.
Children nowadays cannot be persuaded easily since they are smart.
They can see beyond the good that everyone talks about them.
They can avoid certain products after they are deemed to be bad (Harris, 2009).
Children of nowadays are intelligent and are able to differentiate between good and bad.
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Parents should teach their children to differentiate
Parents have to teach their children to distinguish between good and bad (Gunter, 2019).
Also, they should teach them to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy.
Parents should be able to make their children differentiate between good and bad. Children should also be taught to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy products.
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Parents should offer guidance to their children
It is the mandate of parents to guide their children to understand reality and fiction (Kraak, 2010).
They should help their children to overcome the persuasiveness of the adverts.
Parents should guide their children so that they can be able to know the different reality and fiction.
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Validity of the arguments
The argument that is against advertisements to children is not realistic.
There is no way the children can be excluded from watching the TV so that they do not see advertisements.
The argument that is for the advertisement to children is more compelling.
Parents must guide their children on adverts.
They should help them to differentiate between good and bad.
I support the argument for advertisement to children. This is because parents are the ones mandated to guide children what is good and bad.
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References:
Gunter B & Gunter J.(2019). Children and television. London.(2nd ed.). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429288821
Harris, Jennifer L, Bargh ,John A, Brownell & Kelly D.(2009). Priming effects of television food advertising on eating behavior.28(4):404-413.
Kraak V.I & Story M.(2010). Influence of odd companies’ brand mascots and entertainment companies’ cartoon media characters on children’s diet and health: A systematic review and research needs.
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