In a tinted world

Children are as inveterate shoppers as elders, thanks to eye-catching billboards and commercials on television that are packaged with attractive models and wacky jingles.

Most parents say that advertisements related to food, especially junk food and toys and gadgets influence children the most.

It’s important for children to understand that advertisers are trying to make them buy something, says Supritha Mallya, a teacher and mother of 11-year-old twins — Aryan and Arjun. She points out that her children have very opposite tastes and preferences when it comes to food and toys.

“There have been times when my children have asked me to buy a particular flavour of chips. And they are disappointed when I don’t find it and return home empty-handed. But this doesn’t happen all the time; they have their preferences and not everything is driven by advertisements,” says Supritha.

She also says that she has made an effort to educate her children about the pros and cons of consuming junk food and has helped them differentiate between good and bad advertising.     

The advertisers make sure that products targetted at children have something attractive to offer them, observes Nakul, a parent of three children.

“Most of the products have a cartoon character associated with them and that is making shopping with children rather difficult. For example, my kids want to buy biscuits with some of their favourite characters printed on the cover, like Tom and Jerry or Superman,” says Nakul.

He says that even if he tells them that it’s not the best of products, they insist on buying it for the character on the cover or worse, for some tattoos inside, informs Nakul.

Parents like Vaibhav Durve, an IT professional, has a seven-year-old daughter Sia who watches the advertisements on television and immediately relates it to her surroundings.

“There are two ways of looking at advertising — as information and as education. Advertisements sharpen one’s observational skills and help connect with one’s surroundings. But there are a few advertisements that market and promote products that are not good for children. These must be regulated,” says Vaibhav.

Advertisers feel that advertisements are designed to entertain, inform or educate. How an advertisement is visualised depending on the age group and product.

A senior advertising professional says, “Advertisements that are designed for children will not look the same as the ones designed for a grown-up. For instance, an advertisement for a biscuit can be designed in so many different ways. You can play around with the filling, alter the shape or even offer a toy with the biscuit,” she states.

She says that every advertisement is designed and visualised to first sell the product, build brand loyalty and stay ahead in the market. 
  
Dr Chittaranjan Andrade, professor and head, department of psychopharmacology, NIMHANS, feels children are always drawn to advertisements, especially those related to junk food.

He feels children are vulnerable and do not have the adult’s access to information about the harm associated with advertisements, especially those related to food products.

 “Children also do not have an adult’s capacity to weigh the pros and cons of an advertisement. Therefore, there are strong moral and ethical reasons to ban advertising that targets children. This includes a need to ban certain advertisements to which children are likely to be exposed,” says Dr Chittaranjan.  

He holds a strong opinion when it comes to advertisements that are related to
food. He wonders why advertisements of junk food are glorified while those of healthy food aren’t played up as much.

However, he feels there are plenty of other reasons why children gravitate towards junk food, but stopping certain advertisements is one small step forward in the battle towards being a healthier person.