Television Advertising and the Harm to Our Children

Television Advertising and the Harm to our Children

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Television Advertising and the Harm to our Children

Television advertising has an effect on virtually every person. This is due� to the fact that most homes in America have not one, but two to three televisions. Sadly, as one of the largest groups to be negatively effected by advertising are children. "American children spend an average of 4 hours of television a day, 28 hours per week watching TV; by age 18 they have watched 22,000 hours of TV--more time than they ever spent in the classroom." (Jason & Hanaway, 1999). �There is a whole host of harm that is being done to �our children through the over exposure of today's child-focused television advertising. It seems that in the name of making the almighty dollar, television marketers are willing to target any age child without discrimination.

Advertising

English: Line graph of cost of 30 second advertisi...

United States

This has led to numerous ailments in varying degrees from malnutrition to teenage alcohol abuse and promiscuity to the early on-set of child obesity�.

Sex appears to be one of the number one subjects in the minds of most admen. As depicted in a recent Carl's Jr. television commercial, it does not matter that it is a hamburger being marketed, apparently they believe it takes sex to get buyers out there to purchase their product. Unfortunately, in the course of the grease (or perhaps it is drool!) dripping down the "good-ole boys'" chins, their granddaughters, daughters and nieces are starving themselves to death all in the name of so-called beauty. Malnutrition, anorexia and bulimia, the sad results beleaguering our young girls and is all in an attempt to look like the ever-glamorous "sex goddess" making love to a Bentley while seductively eating a hamburger.

On a...