Children are vulnerable to advertising

A current issue in the media is the protection of preschoolers against advertising by subscribed channels. Lately, pay TV has opted to focus on preschoolers as a targeted audience for advertising, it has been argued that the vulnerability of preschoolers towards advertising is such that they may be influenced by the roles of their favourite character. Preschoolers tend to listen and follow the advice of their favourite cartoon character. The majority of food companies are involved in advertising through pay TV because it is cost free. Compared to commercial TV, no restrictions are applied to pay TV channels such as ASTRA.

Further information on this issue is available from The Australian, 31 May 2007, Thursday, Media Section, at <http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21821952-7582,00.html>

I fully agreed that preschoolers are vulnerable to advertising. They are still young children who cannot clearly differentiate between good or bad. They may perceive something which is good according to their feelings or what they have learned from their daily life. Most children love cartoons and they admire many of the cartoon characters. These cartoon characters can effectively inculcate them with useful knowledge rather than promoting junk food or toys.

This video clip shows that the US government used cartoon characters from the movie, ‘Shrek’ in an advertisement to prevent childhood obesity. The cartoon characters encourage small children to have outdoor activities rather than staying at home and watching TV or playing video games. I think it is a good idea to put this kind of advertisement in the preschooler channels.



Junk food and toy advertisements may also add burden to the parents because children tend to be more eager to own something that interests them. The more they see, the more they want and the more their parents are pressured to spend. In fact, junk food is not healthy food for children and can cause obesity. Parents had to watch out for their children in terms of securing their health. The preschool channels also have to be careful in shaping the advertisement messages because they effect how children think.


References

Meade, A 2007, ' Toddlers need protection on subscription channels', Australian 31 May, p.16.