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SCEC
ACTION
Demand a
Congressional Investigation of Marketing and Advertising
to Children
Children
are bombarded with advertising almost every waking
moment. They see 40,000 ads on television alone –
and this figure does not include the numerous
commercial messages they encounter on the Internet,
in schools, and through product placement and
tie-ins with toys and media programs.
There is a growing body of evidence that marketing
aimed at children is linked to a rise in obesity
rates, eating disorders, precocious sexuality, and
violence among children. Marketing also promotes
materialistic values among children – and in the
process undermines family values and parental
authority. The American Psychological Association
has just called for restrictions on all television
advertising aimed at children under the age of
eight.
Congress has been holding important hearings on the
Super Bowl halftime show. But no investigation into
the media can be complete without a similar
investigation into the advertising and marketing
practices aimed at children. After all, it was the
“anything goes” mentality among marketers that
helped create the media climate that led to the
Super Bowl debacle.
Please join the coalition to Stop
Commercial Exploitation of Children in demanding
immediate congressional hearings and a comprehensive
investigation by the Federal Trade Commission or the
General Accounting Office into advertising and
marketing practices aimed at children. SCEC
coalition member Dads and Daughters has generously
agreed to host this important campaign on their
website. Please go to
http://dads.e-actionmax.com/showalert.asp?aaid=522
to send a letter to your representatives, as well as
Senator John McCain and Representative Fred Upton
who led the recent hearings on the Super Bowl. |
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