Kids and Advertising
A friend passed along this link to an online documentary about advertising and kids that’s produced by the Media Education Foundation. My husband and I found it fascinating, and it reinforced a big reason why we got rid of our TV a little over 4 years ago (though my kids do still watch TV when they visit their grandparents).
A few years ago I read Consuming Kids by Susan Linn who is interviewed in the video series. I didn’t realize that she has a new book, The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World. Both my kids have gone to a Waldorf-inspired kindergarten where child-led imaginative play is a major focus. Parents are asked to have the children dressed in clothing without commercial characters because it’s believed that these images work their way into the childrens’ play and they are more likely to act out something they’ve seen on TV instead of just using their imagination.
Obviously I cannot completely shield my kids from commercialism and branded characters, toys etc. It’s simply so pervasive. Just this week my kids were each given a branded character toothbrush from the dental hygienist! I found it interesting that when she said the name of the character, she assumed my kids would know who it was but instead I think she got some blank stares. Anyways, I googled media literacy for kids and found these tips for talking to kids about advertising, but if anyone has any links to share please leave a comment. Thanks!
Technorati Tags: commercialization of childhood, consumerism, marketing to kids, kids and advertising, documentary
I'm Lisa and I live near Toronto with my husband and our two sons. Join me as I share Sweetbeets updates
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the take home message in this article is that parents should remain the influence in their kids lives. http://www.4children.org/issues/2008/november_december/i_want_that/
Lisa thanks so much for sharing this post . Staying the ‘first’ influence to our children is getting harder every year!
mary
Thanks for this interesting post. I knew about the books of Susan Linn, and now, after watching the video, I make the decision to read them!
Thank you for your warning about kids and advertising. Advertising agencies make a lot of money by getting inside your child’’s head and prompting him or her to ask for a product they have seen advertised on television. They are very good at it and what is best for your child is not their top priority. It is up to the parent to discuss this with their toddlers and children as soon as they can understand the concept of advertising. Thanks again for your insight.