DISCUSSION 1
Discussion: Marketing to Children
Brittney Flinchum Tilson
School of Business, Liberty University
Author Note
Brittney Flinchum Tilson.
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Brittney Tilson. Email: bflinchum@liberty.edu
DISCUSSION 2
Marketing to Children
Marketing of unhealthy products is a major concern in marketing to children. “Fast food
and sugar-sweetened beverages, alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes, breastmilk substitutes, and
gamling were positioned as the key products that children are increasingly exposed to and
harmed by” (Powell, 2020, para. 1). Although marketing these products to children can be
harmful, Powell (2020) argues that all marketing to children has the potential of harming
children’s health. Powell (2020) states that marketing to children can be unhealthy even when the
product being marketed is healthy. Research has been done connecting food marketing and
childhood obesity, by little attention is given to shaping children’s mental, emotional, and
spiritual selves. When industries are defining health based on physical appearance (not the
absence of disease or mental health), children begin to form norms and assumptions.
For decades, scholars and advocates have argued that children’s experience fo childhood
is eroded as societies become more commercialised and children are increasingly
encouraged to become consumers. Others have illuminated how the commercialisation of
childhood through pervasive and stealthy advertising tactics re-shapes children’s
identities at the intersections of gender, sexuality, age, culture, ethnicity, and class.
(Powell, 2020, para. 3)
Because of this, researchers and policy makers should shift the attention from un-healthy
products to all marketing to children across all products and industries (food, toys, clothing,
technology, sports equipment, and entertainment).
The Children’s Advertising Review Unit released a statement in 2021 revising guidelines
across industries to assure that advertisimetns marketed to children are not deceptive, unfair, or
inappropriate (BBB National Programs Newsroom). As advertising is changing with
DISCUSSION 3
advancements in technology and increased popularity of social media, these guidelines need to
be revised and adapted. Video influencers, apps, purchase options in video games are marketing
to children, and the guidelines need to incorporate these spaces. The CARU guidelines “call on
advertisers to recognize the power of their advertising to promote positive change, encourage
responsible product use, and support the healthy development of the child” (BBB National
Programs Newsroom, 2021, para. 6).
Research shows that food marketing to children is a significant factor in the health of
young people. According to Ertz & Bouhart (2021), childhood obesity has become a global
pandemic that has created a harmful impact on children. They state that when obesity and weight
issues arrise at a young age, they may continue on into adulthood. Un-healthy food marketing
encourages children to eat junk food and perpetuates the pandemic of childhood obesity (Ertz &
Bouhart, 2021). “Marketing has contributed to framing unhealthy foods with appealing imagery
and branding while eluding its poor nutritional content. Apart from taste, this might explain
children's proclivity to consistently favor unhealthy food over more healthy ones, toward which
they nonetheless have positive attitudes” (Ertz & Bouhart, 2021, para. 4).
The Bible says to “defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and
the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (New
International Version, 2011, Psalm 82: 3-4). This verse shows that it is our responsibility to
protect those that need protecting and to stand up for what is right.
References
BBB National Programs Newsroom. (2021). Children’s Advertising Review Unit Issues Revised
Guidelines for Responsible Advertising to Children. https://bbbprograms.org/media-
center/newsroom/CARU-revised-guidelines-for-advertising-to-children
DISCUSSION 4
Ertz, M. & Le Bouhart, G. (2021). The other pandemic: a conceptual framework and future
research directions of junk food marketing to children and childhood obesity. Journal of
Macromarketing. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1177/02761467211054354
New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/
New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist
Powell, D. (2020). Harmful marketing to children. The Lancet, 396(10264), 1734-1735.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32403-X
Replies
You must then post 2 replies of at least 450 words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the
assigned module. For each thread, you must support your assertions with at least 2 scholarly
citations in the current APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last
five years. You must include 1 biblical reference in addition to the 2 peer-reviewed sources for
each thread and reply.
Jamie,
I also wrote about CARU’s effort to protect children from unhealthy food marketing. You
did a great job explaining CARU and the purpose it fulfills. I found it interesting how they have
to change the guidelines as new media and marketing opportunities arise. For example, as apps,
gaming, social media, and other platforms incorporate marketing, they need to be incorporated
into the guidelines of CARU. According to Harris et. al. (2020) there is a gap in guidelines of
marketing to children. The guidelines have not incorporated thoroughly in store marketing.
Harris et. al. (2020) studied the in store marketing of kid’s breakfast cereal in terms of
DISCUSSION 5
placement, special displays, and promotions along with the proportion of product sales
associated with displays and promotions of child targeted drinks in stores. Harris et. al. (2020)
analyzed that
A higher proportion of child-targeted drink sales were associated with displays and
promotions than sales of other drinks. In both categories, the results were due primarily to
major company products. Although in-store marketing of child-targeted products likely
appeals to both children and parents, these practices encourage children’s consumption of
nutrient-poor food and drinks. If companies will not voluntarily address in-store
marketing to children, government policy options are available to limit the marketing of
unhealthy foods in the supermarket. (para. 1)
Food marketing guidelines should be formulated more thoroughly for in store shopping.
Companies use packaging, special displays, messaging, mini events and contests to market to
children in stores (Harris et. al., 2020).
According to Psalm 127:3, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward
from him” (New International Version, 2011). If children are a gift from God, we need to protect
them from unhealthy things, including and excess of unhealthy food consumption.
References
L Harris, J., Webb, V., J Sacco, S., & L Pomeranz, J. (2020). Marketing to Children in
Supermarkets: An Opportunity for Public Policy to Improve Children's Diets.
International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(4), 1284.
DISCUSSION 6
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041284
New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/
New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist
Jennifer,
Until researching for this class, I didn’t really think of unhealthy food marketing as
unsafe for children’s health. After researching, I see why this practice should be monitored
because children are susceptible to forming habits that are unhealthy from smoking to unhealthy
food consumption. You did a great job outlining these unsafe product markering in your
discussion post. Your point about age-appropriate usage is interesting.
My children are 7, 5, and 3. We don’t have cable, but they do watch Netflix, Disney Plus,
and Youtube kids. The only place they are seeing advertisements is on Youtube Kids. I have
never researched the type of ads that are displayed on that app, but I hope that the products or
services being marketed are safe for them. Although there are not many advertisements on the
app, most videos they watch have children opening a variety of toys.
According to Ahn (2021), parents are not aware of the impact influencer marketing has
on young children. “Given that children have become avid YouTube users, more attention has
been paid to child-directed videos and advertising” (Ahn, 2021, para. 1). Ahn (2021) encourages
parents to become more aware of the ways their children are being marketed to in order to help
protect them from any harmful marketing.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is older, he
will not depart from it” (New International Version, 2011). When children see their parents
learning and becoming more aware of harmful marketing, they will learn to be weary of it.
DISCUSSION 7
References
Ahn, R. (2021). Exploration of parental advertising literacy and parental mediation: influencer
marketing of media character toy and merchandise. Journal of Advertising. https://doi-
org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1080/00913367.2021.1944935
New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/
New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist
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