Marketing serves to persuade consumers to purchase a particular product or use a service. The advertising often targets a specific group, such as senior citizens or young, single people. Companies selling toys and other youth-oriented products often use psychological tactics to manipulate children into wanting the product. While often effective, marketing to young children comes with disadvantages.
Inability to Understand
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According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a child under eight lacks the ability to understand that the advertisem*nts are solely there to sell them on a product. Young children are more likely to believe anything they hear or see in advertising because they aren't cognitively able to realize the selling purpose. Children don't understand that advertising claims are sometimes embellished or emphasized just to make the sale.
Ethical Dilemma
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Advertisers face an ethical dilemma when marketing to children. While the advertising campaign may work to increase sales, the company is essentially manipulating young, impressionable children. Being manipulated by advertising may help shape the child's values by impressing upon him that he need the comfort and status that comes from having lots of things. Advertisers should decide if they are willing to cross these ethical lines when advertising to young children.
Parent Frustration
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Despite the fact that children aren't able to drive to the store and buy the marketed items themselves, they child-centered advertisem*nts are often effective. Children go directly to their parents to convince them to purchase the items they saw in the advertisem*nts. Parents often give in to satisfy their children and to help them fit in with other children at school who have those same products already. Other parents feel pressured to purchase the items even if they don't have the money. Some parents become frustrated by the situation and may avoid buying the product at all.
Long-Term Effects
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According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, excessive exposure to advertisem*nts may lead children to smoke, use alcohol and practice poor nutrition, which often leads to obesity. The advertisem*nts aimed at children send them the message that they need things to be happy and accepted. In the long run, this may lead to materialistic behaviors. Children learn that the items they own get them attention, increase popularity or enable them to gain more friendships. Whether they realize it or not, these behaviors often carry over to adulthood.
