Too Old for Toys, Too Young for Boys, Essay Example

Should advertising be allowed in schools?

This would depend on several things. The excerpt asks a vital question at what age would be ok to advertise to children. In my view though the market potential for children is undoubtedly massive, however there are ethical considerations to be put for. Firstly what should be marketed and who determines the criteria? Before the Victorian era adolescence did not exist. It is a creation of the Victorian era. In our own time tweenies did not exist 30 years ago. This twenty first century creation is girly feminine driven by consumption centered on sex boys and make up (Aucion, 2005).

What facts would you want to know before deciding this question?

What culture are they promoting? What message are they promoting? Is it sexualizing the children too early? Will it be appropriate to promote clothes that are deemed sexy by an evangelical rural community appropriate? Are the products being advertised affordable to all income levels of the school how will it affect the children’s health or eating habits e.g. is promotion of MacDonald’s promoting and or creating the very obesity the society is try to eliminate due to its adverse health effects. The most important question is where are the parents in all this? To what extent will parent input be allowed?

What alternative marketing practices are open to companies that sell products? To children? If some school districts propose advertising on and in buses, which are public property paid for by tax dollars, does that raise additional issues?

The alternative advertising opportunities are television, social networking sites, Fliers posters and events specifically for children and tweens. If advertising is done on public property then the question of corporate social responsibility arises. What are the companies giving to the public in return and more specifically to children whom they are hoping to make money off. Let’s not forget in a recessionary economy austerity has become the order of the day. Wanton consumerism is now frowned upon simply because a family on fifty thousand dollars a year is practically poor. There is very little room for spending on youthful exuberance fueled by peer pressure after all advertising is making you want what you don’t need and consume that which isn’t necessary.(Aucion, 2005)

References

Aucoin, Don (2 February 2005). “Too old for toys, too young for boys”. The Boston Globe, USA