Week 5: Children and Advertisements.

Advertisements are integrated into children’s everyday life (Burrell and Beard, 2010) .I feel advertisements strongly influence childrens desires for products such as toys and gadgets. Burrell and Beard (2010) state that the most prominent way children view advertisements is through TV and they often use language that is enticing for children. Gunter, Oats and Blades (2005) agree with Burrell and Beard and confirm that the language is often full of rhyme and repetition. When watching childrens channels they are littered with endless promising adverts promoting endless toys and gadgets; I have witnessed it luring children in. Gunter, Oates and Blades (2005) stipulate that advertisements are designed to positively affect consumers’ opinions of the brand, and therefore increase sales. However, aren’t advertisements aimed at children exploiting their vulnerability? Quite often, the advertisements will also contain catchy slogans, special effects, role models, fantasy and exaggeration to draw children in (Burrell and Beard, 2010; Gunter, Oates & Blades, 2005). Therefore, it can be argued that children are consumers because the advertisements give children power in which they often use to pester parents into buying the products (Gunter et al, 2005).

Children drive the sales of toys and gadgets. Quite often, I have witnessed my cousins filling their birthday lists with endless items they have seen advertised on TV. More often than not, they do not know what the item is and state that it “just looks cool”. Gunter et al (2005) found that over $250 billion was spent on childrens toys and gadgets, from parents’ earnings, in the USA. In relation, they also found that 2/3 of children have TVs in their room; therefore, advertisements are powerful because they are targeting children in their homes. On the other hand, while it may seem that advertisements are negative aspects of the media that lure children in, Kenway and Bullen (2001) believe that advertisements can appeal to childrens desires. Advertisements allow children to fantasise about toys they don’t have so they can relate to their peers. In reality, as a consequence is this not a negative element of advertisements?

In light of this, I feel children should be taught about the persuasive element of advertisements in school. Both children, and teachers, need to consider the effects of advertisements and often they receive minimal attention (Burrell and Beard, 2010). Burrell and Beard (2010) believe that children are given power through writing, therefore why not allow them to engage with advertisements to help them understand the power of text? I feel teachers need to consider how persuasive texts can develop childrens key skills for the future as it is something they will find valuable whereas, arguably, narrative is not. I have a passion for fictional writing, none-the-less I believe persuasive writing is a valuable skill in which children should learn and engage with. Arguably, they should be exposed to advertisements because they are prominent in modern society and it allows them to engage with technology. Advertisements can provide digital stimuli for a persuasive writing activity; Burrell and Beard claim that they can greatly enhance childrens pragmatic skills. To summarise, I feel advertisements lure children in and exploit their vulnerability. However, despite this I feel children should learn about advertisements within the primary school setting.

Bibliography:

Burrell, A., & Beard, R. (2010). Children's advertisement writing. Literacy, 44(2), 83-90

Gunter, B., Oates, C., & Blades, M. (2004). Advertising to children on TV: Content, impact, and regulation. Routledge.

Kenway, J., & Bullen, J. (2003). Consuming children: Education-entertainment-advertising. British Educational Research Journal, 29(2), 267-276.