Advertising to children: Is it ethical?

This is pretty much the original direction of this blog… to ask the question is it bad? And what effect does it really have? I have addressed many issues and I hope as a reader you can form your own opinion with the help of my writing. Here is a very interesting article regarding how we have changed into such a purchase driven society, and how that effects the dynamic of childhood.

BY REBECCA A. CLAY


“Ever since he first started practicing, Berkeley, Calif., psychologist Allen D. Kanner, PhD, has been asking his younger clients what they wanted to do when they grew up. The answer used to be "nurse," "astronaut" or some other occupation with intrinsic appeal.

Today the answer is more likely to be "make money." For Kanner, one explanation for that shift can be found in advertising.

"Advertising is a massive, multi-million dollar project that's having an enormous impact on child development," says Kanner, who is also an associate faculty member at a clinical psychology training program called the Wright Institute. "The sheer volume of advertising is growing rapidly and invading new areas of childhood, like our schools."

According to Kanner, the result is not only an epidemic of materialistic values among children, but also something he calls "narcissistic wounding" of children. Thanks to advertising, he says, children have become convinced that they're inferior if they don't have an endless array of new products.”

----- I don’t know about you but I think that is not only true for children, but advertising has also carried this into adulthood. I always wish I could just have soo much cool stuff, then I realize I don’t care too much if I have Seven jeans because my Levis will do just fine. But as I have said before, kids don’t just get over it, they get wrapped up in it.