3 ms·

I can’t really think of harms I suffered as a child from watching ads. It probably made me want to buy more stuff but since I was a kid I had to ask my parents

I can’t really think of harms I suffered as a child from watching ads. It probably made me want to buy more stuff but since I was a kid I had to ask my parents and they usually said no. I was slightly sad but then I got over it. So if anything it probably taught me to be a more discerning consumer that wouldn’t buy anything just because of an ad. If we hide the real world from children too much then how do we expect them to learn to deal with it all at once? They will turn 18, get a credit card, and be bombarded with ads they haven’t learned to control. Unless you want to argue that ads shouldn’t be shown to adults either (which has major free speech issues) I think it’s better for kids to learn to deal with them responsibly.

0xB31B1B 4y ago
In the US, kids are bombarded with ads for sugary cereals and candy and we have a huge childhood obesity problem.
- Brystephor 4y ago
  So to reverse this, if kids were shown advertisements about vegetables and gyms or other physical activities, then there would be no child obesity?
  - p0pcult 4y ago
    If they featured celebrities and cartoons and vegetables came with toys, as well as stopping the ads for garbage food...I'd guess more likely than not, we would go back to more typical levels of child obesity.
    - Spivak 4y ago
      In these kinds of moments I wish we had a parallel universe simulator because I would put pretty much any amount of money on that not being true. The fact that kids crave fat, protein, and sugar and don't like vegetables isn't some mystery or a product of Cap'n Crunch and is as old as refined sugar. What do you think those visions of sugar plums were all about? They're growing and their bodies are sending them the "more calories" signal 24/7. When I was in HS I could put down two Chipotle burritos without breaking a sweat. When I bake for my nephews I have to make them sickeningly sweet to my own pallet but they practically unhinge their jaws to eat it faster. Little kids also haven't developed a taste for bitter and sour which adults for some reason forget and act shocked they don't like broccoli. It stopped being bitter to you. I put all my chips on the fact that I had nowhere to expend all the excess energy. My neighborhood didn't have a park, I got a 30 minute recess, and the only entertainment that was readily available growing up was books, tv, and video games.
  - callalex 4y ago
    Yes. In most American supermarkets, there are packages of fruit and carrots with Disney characters on them. Parents buy them because it works.
- SoftTalker 4y ago
  Are the kids the ones buying the cereal and candy? I got cornflakes, oatmeal, etc. If I wanted sweet, I got a few berries thrown in. Up to the point that the kids start earning their own money, parents decide what they eat.
hospitalJail 4y ago
I posted this above, but I imagine your preferences as an adult were shaped as a child. Nintendo and Disney corporate mascots appear to be classic characters. Apple makes products that make you look cool. Bud Light is the beer of young, good looking people at parties and watching sports. Ads aren't just selling you a product, they are brand marketing and brand positioning.
everforward 4y ago
The sticking point for me is informed consent. We don't consider children to be capable of giving informed consent, which is why they generally can't enter into contracts. It feels like advertising has become so omnipresent that we don't even consider that to be entering a contract, but it is. They're handing away their data or having their desires manipulated, and I don't think children can be reasonably asked to make a judgement on whether that's a good decision for them or not. I do see the point that you're making about turning 18. Fortunately, I think that's somewhat of a self-limiting problem. If kids turning 18 genuinely can't withstand the ads, they'll start filing for bankruptcy and credit card companies will stop issuing them lines of credit.
denton-scratch 4y ago
> I can’t really think of harms I suffered as a child from watching ads. Nor me. But in those days, they couldn't push cigarettes, booze and gambling at us.
- JohnFen 4y ago
  You must be younger than me. When I was a kid, I saw plenty of ads on TV for tobacco and booze. No gambling, though.
  - denton-scratch 4y ago
    You're right; I saw booze ads (Cinzano comes to mind - and Tia Maria). I don't remember seeing cigarette ads; but I remember a memorable ad for Hamlet cigars. So I'm wrong (forgetful old man!)

0xB31B1B 4y ago

In the US, kids are bombarded with ads for sugary cereals and candy and we have a huge childhood obesity problem.

Brystephor 4y ago
So to reverse this, if kids were shown advertisements about vegetables and gyms or other physical activities, then there would be no child obesity?
- p0pcult 4y ago
  If they featured celebrities and cartoons and vegetables came with toys, as well as stopping the ads for garbage food...I'd guess more likely than not, we would go back to more typical levels of child obesity.
  - Spivak 4y ago
    In these kinds of moments I wish we had a parallel universe simulator because I would put pretty much any amount of money on that not being true. The fact that kids crave fat, protein, and sugar and don't like vegetables isn't some mystery or a product of Cap'n Crunch and is as old as refined sugar. What do you think those visions of sugar plums were all about? They're growing and their bodies are sending them the "more calories" signal 24/7. When I was in HS I could put down two Chipotle burritos without breaking a sweat. When I bake for my nephews I have to make them sickeningly sweet to my own pallet but they practically unhinge their jaws to eat it faster. Little kids also haven't developed a taste for bitter and sour which adults for some reason forget and act shocked they don't like broccoli. It stopped being bitter to you. I put all my chips on the fact that I had nowhere to expend all the excess energy. My neighborhood didn't have a park, I got a 30 minute recess, and the only entertainment that was readily available growing up was books, tv, and video games.
- callalex 4y ago
  Yes. In most American supermarkets, there are packages of fruit and carrots with Disney characters on them. Parents buy them because it works.
SoftTalker 4y ago
Are the kids the ones buying the cereal and candy? I got cornflakes, oatmeal, etc. If I wanted sweet, I got a few berries thrown in. Up to the point that the kids start earning their own money, parents decide what they eat.

hospitalJail 4y ago

I posted this above, but I imagine your preferences as an adult were shaped as a child. Nintendo and Disney corporate mascots appear to be classic characters. Apple makes products that make you look cool. Bud Light is the beer of young, good looking people at parties and watching sports. Ads aren't just selling you a product, they are brand marketing and brand positioning.

everforward 4y ago

The sticking point for me is informed consent. We don't consider children to be capable of giving informed consent, which is why they generally can't enter into contracts. It feels like advertising has become so omnipresent that we don't even consider that to be entering a contract, but it is. They're handing away their data or having their desires manipulated, and I don't think children can be reasonably asked to make a judgement on whether that's a good decision for them or not. I do see the point that you're making about turning 18. Fortunately, I think that's somewhat of a self-limiting problem. If kids turning 18 genuinely can't withstand the ads, they'll start filing for bankruptcy and credit card companies will stop issuing them lines of credit.

denton-scratch 4y ago

> I can’t really think of harms I suffered as a child from watching ads. Nor me. But in those days, they couldn't push cigarettes, booze and gambling at us.

JohnFen 4y ago
You must be younger than me. When I was a kid, I saw plenty of ads on TV for tobacco and booze. No gambling, though.
- denton-scratch 4y ago
  You're right; I saw booze ads (Cinzano comes to mind - and Tia Maria). I don't remember seeing cigarette ads; but I remember a memorable ad for Hamlet cigars. So I'm wrong (forgetful old man!)