In recent times, the question of advertisements targeted children has sparked a considerable debate. While some consider that marketing campaigns have a significant impact on youngsters and should be completely prohibited due to its negative effect, I disagree with this statement, since some ads promote educational sources and healthy habits.
On the one hand, advertising can negatively affect children’s health by promoting unhealthy lifestyles. For instance, they target children with junk food and sugary drinks such as pizza, cola or energy drinks, which later leads to obesity and poor eating habits. Furthermore, launching products on social media, televisions or mobile applications limits the critical thinking of teenagers, as they are exposed to the same ads repeatedly and may feel compelled to purchase even unnecessary items without having a thought. As a result, the normalization of harmful products and early brand dependency often arise in society.
On the other hand, not all publicized contents offer a negative influence on youth. Some campaigns such as Read every day, Khan Academy Kids, or Healthy diet help children engage with books, learning apps and healthy habits. Moreover, advertising prepares youngsters for reality from a young age, allowing them to understand the culture of consumerism. That’s why, regulating commercial messages would lead to further benefits rather than imposing a complete ban. To make this more effective, governments should implement strict rules regarding content, timing and platforms. In addition, parental responsibility also plays a crucial role in reducing the negative effect of ads. If adults teach teenagers media literacy, fewer youngsters would be easily manipulated by marketing strategies.
In conclusion, although many people argue advertising has a lot of drawbacks such as limiting the critical thinking and affecting health, I do believe with strict regulations, the advantages overweigh the disadvantages, as commercial messages can also provide educational and healthy content for children.