Is it wrong for Advertisers to Target Children?
The debate on advertisements targeting children has raged on for some time. Companies use advertisements to make the public aware of their products in the market. The type of advert aired may have both positive and negative influence on the child. Nowadays, many children get exposed to a variety of advertisements on the different media like radio, television, the internet, and the print media as well. As a matter of fact, advertisements are available for people of all ages. However, the children have become more susceptible and in most instances, the advertisers targeting children customize their messages to influence the children. A number of ethical concerns related to advertisements targeting children have come up in the recent past and are still a significant social issue in the present time. Companies have taken advantage of the societal gaps tremendously to increase the number of adverts targeting children (Baca). The paper will illustrate that advertisement targeting children are wrong and unethical. The unethical promotions should not be permitted by the relevant authorities.
The most frequent advertisements are those done by food companies and firms manufacturing alcoholic drinks. It is unethical to provide adverts that majorly target children. First, children are not mentally mature and may not be able to distinguish the actual meaning of the advert as opposed to an adult. Hence, the advert pictured to influence children is unfair and misleading. Also, the adverts targeting children are effective; otherwise, the companies involved would not be spending huge amounts of money on such initiatives (Story and French). The children are also not able to resist the sales pitch of the adverts. Opponents of the argument state that it is essential for children to get exposed to such promotions since it acts as a learning process. Additionally, those who propose that such advertisements are ethical state that parents should take responsibility in controlling what their children watch.
Moreover, children lack money of their own and have to depend on their parents in case they want to purchase an item. Hence, it is unethical for advertisers to customize their adverts to compel the children to ask for money from their parents. Most companies use the ‘nag-and-whine’ campaign that entails advertising to children to persuade their parents to purchase the items. Instead, companies should market directly to the parents (Story and French). The campaign creates an ill feeling between the children and the parents. The messages rely on the power of the child to pester the parent to buy an item they do not have in their budget. The child may also use the item for a short time and discard it. A marketing strategy that portrays a product to a child as a ‘must-have’ is socially divisive. Hence, such promotions make parents who cannot afford such items for their children appear inferior. Furthermore, such families will have a feeling of inadequacy and frustrations, and may even lead them to debt. Conversely, those who support those advertisements are ethical to children on this premise argue that poor parenting plays a central role. Additionally, such proponents posit that children should develop healthy spending habits from a young age.
Children targeted by adverts usually suffer negative social consequences. For instance, foods and drinks promotions have had serious negative influences on the children. Deceiving gullible children to eat sugary, salty and fatty foods are immoral since it leads to obesity. Additionally, it leads to unhealthy youngsters with poor feeding habits. The long-term effect will be increased expenditures on medical care that such children will eventually need (Story and French). Proponents of the ethical advertisements on this premise argue that children have a natural liking for sugary and fatty foods. Additionally, it all boils down to parenting to help children practice healthy eating habits.
In this section, the discussion will focus on the application of the act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism to the permissibility of the adverts targeting children. Act utilitarianism is a principle that stipulates that particular actions can only be taken under special circumstances. For instance, unethical advertisements targeting children have no basis of truth. Most of the promotional strategies are founded on lies. The act utilitarianism may imply that telling a lie in some instances may produce the best results. If a firm promotes a product with the messages full of lies, but at the end of the day increases sales, then act utilitarianism applies.
Conversely, rule utilitarianism is a principle that is based on a set of laws. The rules are used in most cases to identify actions to take in particular circumstances. Hence, a rule utilitarian will first look for a set of rules, and decide to follow the rules that best maximizes collective utility at all times. In advertisements targeting children, it is vital to consider a set of rules before coming up to a concrete conclusion. For instance, if it is determined that adverts based on lies makes the society unhappy, then it would not be advisable to carry on with such adverts. Both act and rule utilitarianism should be considered while considering decisions to make as relates to unethical advertisements targeting children. Rule utilitarianism would lead to the most appropriate decision since it advocates following a set of universal rules for determining whether an action is right or wrong.
Most importantly, deontological theories can also be applied to determine whether an advert targeting children is either ethical or immoral. Deontological theories proved a rule-based approach to ethics. Deontologists propose that moral actions must provide the best results and use the best means with good intentions. The principal proponent of the moral theory was Emmanuel Kant. According to Kant, actions that are based on lies are wrong regardless of the results they produce. Deontology is based on universal laws, and not the products of particular activities. Deontology promotes doing the right things while following the universally accepted rules. Since the unethical advertisements focusing on children are potentially exploitative, deontology terms are as wrong by all means. However, the theory allows for creating some restrictions on promotions aimed at children to make such adverts acceptable up to some limits. Adverts that focus on healthy eating habits and are not based on lies are supported by the deontological theories. Creating a categorical imperative that posits that advertisements aimed at children are wrong leaves no space for including any exceptions to the rule ("Ethical Models").
In my view, deontological theories come up with the best answer on this social issue. As much as companies want to make profits; the children’s welfare should be taken into consideration. Putting up adverts based on lies to achieve good for the business and not the society as a whole is wrong. The deontological perspective accommodates universal standards across the world ("Ethical Models"). Hence, the argument is that if one thing is wrong in one country, and then is wrong globally. An act is either wrong or right. The act utilitarianism theories do not resonate well. Act utilitarianism stipulates that one can use false advertisements as long as the objective of the firm is achieved. The argument sharply differs with the deontological approach since deontology is based on truth. Hence, the act utilitarianism theory does not offer a vivid explanation of the relevance of unethical advertisements.
Works Cited
Baca, Erin E. "TOWARD A GENERAL THEORY OF THE ETHICS OF CHILDREN'S ADVERTISING." Small Business Advancement National Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. <http://sbaer.uca.edu/research/sma/1997/PDF/09.pdf>.
"Ethical Models." web.utk.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. <http://web.utk.edu/~rhovland/EthicalModels.html>.
Story, Mary, and Simone French. "Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US." International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2004): n. pag. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC416565/>.
