advertising and children

"Consuming Kids throws desperately needed light on the practices of a relentless multi-billion dollar marketing machine that now sells kids and their parents everything from junk food and violent video games to bogus educational products and the family car. Drawing on the insights of health care professionals, children's advocates, and industry insiders, the film focuses on the explosive growth of child marketing in the wake of deregulation, showing how youth marketers have used the latest advances in psychology, anthropology, and neuroscience to transform American children into one of the most powerful and profitable consumer demographics in the world. Consuming Kids pushes back against the wholesale commercialization of childhood, raising urgent questions about the ethics of children's marketing and its impact on the health and well-being of kids."--Container.

Discusses the marketing of products to children, the history of kids as consumers, the effects of directing fast food advertisements toward children, what should be done to limit the use of sex and violence in ad campaigns, and other controversial issues about consumerism.

Uses personal stories, expert commentary, and historic advertising film clips to illustrate the causes and consequences of consumerism in American society.

Explores the links between play, creativity, and health, discusses the importance of play in helping children understand the world, and argues that technology and commercialism are endangering creative play in exchange for corporate profits.

Explores how companies are targeting younger viewers in an attempt to sell their products and offers parents practical advice on how they can protect their children from the marketing and advertising industries' techniques.

Twelve essays present opposing arguments on whether advertising is harmful and whether it should be restricted, covering such topics as advertising's prevalence, the portrayal of minorities, underage drinking, and childhood obesity.

Examines the persuasive techniques used by advertisers and their effects on the consumer.

The author examines the marketing techniques and strategies in television advertising, movies, and on the Internet that target children and attempt to convince them that the products they see are essential to their social survival.