Opinion Let's ban kids' ads

By Chris Staples

You’d think I would have learned my lesson with the Sea Monkeys.

The ads in the back of my Archie comic books made it seem like these tiny creatures were not only cute and talented, they were almost human. (The females even had ribbons in their “hair”!) I pestered my parents for what seemed like years before they finally gave in.

Of course, the real Sea Monkeys were nothing more than freeze-dried shrimp that were hardly cute or talented and smelled awful. Here was my first experience with the seductive power of advertising—both to create insatiable desire and crushing disappointment at the same time.

Luckily, my exposure to advertising was limited back in small town Alberta in the 70s. Besides comic books, there were occasional ads on one of the two English TV stations for board games (Pop-o-matic Trouble) and novelty items (Super Slider Snow Skates—another big let-down).

Today is a different world

To say that marketing to kids has become big business is an understatement. In Canada alone, advertising aimed at children ballooned from $100 million in 1990 to over $2 billion a decade later.

It’s a tidal wave of ads pitching a dizzying array of products created specifically for kids— from video games to cell phones. There’s kiddie make-up at Shoppers Drug Mart. Not to mention a whole aisle in Safeway devoted to fruit leathers, whatever the heck they are.

And while kids marketing techniques have become much more sophisticated since the 70s, kids unfortunately haven’t. They’re still as innocent and gullible as I was.

There’s lots of science that helps explain why. Studies show that kids under six can’t distinguish between program content and ads. Not surprisingly, the whole idea of “sponsors” and “paid messages” is a bit esoteric for the average pre-schooler.

Even older kids have a tough time figuring out that that ads are showing products in idealized settings. One study showed kids were oblivious to ads that distorted, exaggerated or even misrepresented the performance of toys. The fine print that points out that the toy is “not exactly as shown’ or that the sugary snack is “part of a complete breakfast” goes right over their heads.

Of course, very few ads are as blatantly deceptive as the Sea Monkeys. They’re much more subtle—and insidious. They equate buying a product with fun, popularity and self-worth. If you want to be happy, you need to consume.

Studies show there’s a direct correlation between the amount of TV kids watch and materialistic tendencies. There’s also a big connection between TV and nagging, as any parent knows.

“Pester power” is hard to resist. Especially for today’s parents. Fewer children, bigger incomes, and more guilt mean parents are more likely to give in and buy the snack-toy-sneakers.

So what’s to be done?

Some argue that exposing children to advertising early will help teach them to be “smarter consumers.” This is like suggesting a six-year-old start sipping wine with dinner to learn the value of moderate drinking. Kids simply don’t have the cognitive tools to deal with a barrage of seductive ad messages.

Severely limiting media consumption is one way to limit the effects of advertising on your kids. Severely limiting the amount of advertising aimed at children is another. It may sound odd coming from someone who’s spent his career in marketing, but I think ads aimed at children under 12 should be banned. Period.

Kids would still be exposed to ads—but indirectly, in the same way they are to adults who drink and smoke. This would give parents and teachers ample time to educate kids about advertising and consumerism—as part of the school curriculum.

Don’t get me wrong--- I love advertising, and the crazy, colourful capitalist system that goes with it. But no one benefits from blind materialism or out-of-control consumption. If our system is to survive, we need smarter consumers, not a generation of auto-consumers.

In other words, it’s time kids knew you can’t buy happiness in the back of a comic book.

Chris Staples is a partner with Rethink, a Vancouver-based agency that creates advertising— for adults. This article originally appeared in Today’s Parent magazine.

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