True Picture of Tv Advertising to Kids Under 12 Years

True picture of TV advertising to kids under 12 years

Advertising to children is the most problematic issue in modern world, because as Earnshow, (2001) states: "advertisers stoutly defend their right to commercial free speech, at the same time making great negative impact on kids". Advertisers influence on children by making a false imagination that they helping children to live "more comfortable in this commercial world" (Jackson, quoted in Swain, 2002). Against such "a marketing machine" there are organized industrial organizations to protect "vulnerable" audiences and their rights (Dibb, 1993; Dalmeny et al., 2003).

James, et al (1998) suggests that there are two categories of childhood: "pre-sociological" and "sociological" differentiated between "naturally developing child and the innocent child". According to Ulvskog, (2001), Swedish government has banned advertising on TV to the under 12 (innocent child), identifying children as a "commercial free zone". "In Greece, the advertising of toys on television is banned between 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 p.m." (Nawathe A. et al, 2007). In addition, the Swedish Minister for Education and Culture defines children as an "exposed group in society in need of special care and protection, viewed as less experienced and more impressionable than adults, children need protection against harmful media content of all sorts. To the perplexity of the marketing industry, the seminar convened by the Swedish government in 2001 to address the issue of children and new media bracketed the harmful effects on children of advertising with those of media violence and pornography."

Buckingham completes the research of James Bulger by defining innocent kids as children with "lack of inability to conform to adult norms". Besides, they do not posses any knowledge to differentiate and get the message of advertising, also experiences to criticize the message of advertising compared to adults (Buckingham, 1997, p. 33). In contrast, according to Buckingham, (2000) he states in his research that most of advertisers in late twentieth century tried to influence and threaten the children by breaking the rules of government advertising restrictions (Jenkins, 1992). "Thus concerns about deviant sexuality become redefined as concerns about pedophilia, or concerns about pornography are transferred to child-pornography." Moreover, Buckingham points out that to defend the hostility against children from advertisers is too difficult even in terms of political restrictions and critics' arguments.

However, the level of correctly getting the message of advertising creates a number disputes nowadays (Banks, 1975; Burr and Burr, 1976; Ellis, 2000; Drumwright and Murphy, 2004; Eagle et al., 2004).

Positive Sides of Advertising

According to Nawathe A, et al, there are some positive sides which indicate another side of coin. As they state, advertising to kids provokes children to stay clear. After observing the ads of Dettol, Lifebuoy, their cleaning staff, children are encouraged to stay clear. Also the Pepsodent Germicheck - Dhishum Dhishum encourages kids to brush their teeth twice a day, helping them to realize the benefits of advertised products. In addition, companies like Amul and Nestle are advertising milk products to kids in India, making them to drink healthy milk, and assuring them that products are full of vitamins.

Negative sides

According to the Delhi based NGO, Centre for Science & Environment studies, advertised soft drinks in India with celebrities contain 27 times higher pesticides than in EU norms. In addition, children aged between three moths and 17 years are increasingly causing diabetes. (Nawathe A., et al, 2007) Diabetes is small problem among the following illnesses occurred due to the obesity which is caused because of unhealthy food consumption: hypertension, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), gall bladder ailments, cancer, psycho-social problems, breathlessness, sleep disorders, asthma, arthritis, weak bones and reproductive hormone abnormalities.

In addition, according to the research of Nawathe A. et al, (2007) if anyone asks a female kid who would you want to look like, the obvious answer would be to look like a Barbie doll. They possess in mind an imagination that they will look like more important if they look like a Barbie doll. On the one hand, it is good, but on the other hand it causes physical health problems.

In contrast, according to their research, "on annual basis teenagers see between 1000 and 2000 beer commercials carrying the message that 'real' men drink beer". It convinces males to increase beer consumption, but recently due to ban on alcohol ads there were observed a decline in alcohol consumption.

Critics' arguments

Nowadays, advertising to children is considered as a political issue which has to be discussed in proper ways (O'Sullivan, 2000); and strong defender of advertising Winston Fletcher rejects protesters who direct their attention to anti-business concepts (Earnshaw, 2002). Indeed, anti-capitalists as depicted by Klein (2000) might well identify with this faintly childlike image. Their playful strategies of culture-jamming and ironic consumption subvert advertising's interpellation of consumers as children rather than as rational adults. Adult unease at this derives to some extent from the figure of the "Unconscious Child"