Well, it's not ethical to target children with advertisements, as they are not yet able to distinguish advertising from actual programming the way adults can. This means that advertising aimed at children is misleading and unfair.
Should companies continue targeting kids in their advertisement's?
Explanation:
Kids represent an important demographic to marketers because in addition to their own purchasing power (which is considerable) they influence their parents’ buying decisions and are the adult consumers of the future.According to the 2008 YTV Kids and Tweens Report, kids influence: Breakfast choices (97% of the time) and lunch choices (95% of the time). Where to go for casual family meals (98% of the time) (with 34% of kids always having a say on the choice of casual restaurant). Clothing purchases (95% of the time). Software purchases (76% of the time) and computer purchases (60% of the time). Family entertainment choices (98% of the time) and family trips and excursions (94% of the time). As a result, industry spending on advertising to children has exploded over the past two decades. In the United States alone, companies spent over $17 billion doing this in 2009 – more than double what was spent in 1992. Parents today are willing to buy more for their kids because trends such as smaller family size, dual incomes and postponing having children until later in life mean that families have more disposable income. As well, guilt can play a role in spending decisions as time-stressed parents substitute material goods for time spent with their kids.
