Effects of Ads and Commercials

"Commercials and advertisements leave my children dissatisfied with what they have and make them clamor for new products. How can I deal with this situation?"
— P.M..

The simplest answer would be to have them avoid looking at commercials and ads! Yet this is impossible and highly improbable in this day and age where consumerism has made us walking commercials – from the brand of sport shoes we wear to the latest 5G smart phone in our hands, from the choice of our shampoo and conditioner to the brand of skin-whitening lotion we use…

Based on facts, advertisements influence the parent-child relationship, since they stimulate children’s desire to acquire more, or the latest products. Children’s desires become insistent, instigating discussions, quarrels and capriciousness. Their clamor for certain products also indirectly influence their parents who, in turn, have internalized their children’s tastes to the extent that, at times, parents even buy the products without their children even asking for them.

In the process of socialization, advertisements wield another effect: they contribute to the sense of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in a child’s life. This feeling arises from the capacity (or lack of it) to acquire what is being advertised. The child picks up all “necessary” information, then experiences disappointment over the products acquired if these do not fulfill the promises of advertising: happiness, great emotion, beauty, success, and popularity; or they may feel of being “out of sync” with his peers because they don’t have the latest gadget.

Advertising is designed to make us (children and adults) feel dissatisfied and inadequate about who we are and with what we have, motivating us to desire and acquire advertised new products that promise us a better life. That is its job and, as they say, the whole world is a marketplace.

Everything is for sale and it can become very competitive. In fact, research now shows that advertisements actually target children and teenagers from age range of 10-20 years old. These are the young people who have that power to convince their parents to buy anything being offered out there.

The marketplace is so crowded! There are just too many products to sell to a limited market that advertisers must become more and more creative and resourceful in using any and all available media to attract this viable target market. All of this acquisition is equated with maintaining the “status symbol” or showing to the world that “we made it.”

The challenge for parents is how not to always give in to their children’s desire to acquire the advertised product. Instead, they need to help kids with that discernment and knowledge, an awareness of, and a critical attitude to assess and evaluate, the advertised messages about these products. Is what the ads claim true? Can the product really do what it claims it can do? Do I need it? Is the product really worth my money and time? Can I live without it?

Also, parents should educate their children about the nature of media and technology. Not all new products are unnecessary, useless or bad. They should be taught to discern whether it is an urgent need or else, something one can do without, etc.

Furthermore, we have to be living examples of those values we want to transmit to our children. Actions speak louder than words and one of the biggest turn-offs for our children are our “sermons.” Have you ever tried going shopping with your kids? That may be the best opportunity to teach them the values of discernment, help them acquire an appreciation for what is beautiful and reasonably priced rather than what is expensive, and make choices based on the needs of others rather than on our own.

It is good to be prudent with purchases, especially when the children are with you, shopping. It would be a good practice to bring them to the supermarket or bookstore when you have to go. Why not include them in discussions about the week’s menu so they too will understand the ingredients needed for a cooking dish, how much they will cost, etc. Before shopping for school supplies, a good practice could be to have the children look over last school year’s shoes, uniforms, pencil cases etc., and see if they are still useable and in good condition. Children then realize that a new school year doesn’t necessarily mean buying everything new. They can learn not to be ashamed about this before their classmates.

Parents can also show by their example what materialism is all about. They can start by not buying the latest cellphones, media gadgets or fashion wears for themselves if what they are currently using is still okay. This way, children can understand the importance of a “need” vs. a “want.” They will learn to enjoy the simpler things in life together, rather than opt for the most expensive items that often leave them dissatisfied.

Jenni Bulan, and Maria Rosa Pagliari

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Short Attention Span

"More and more teachers complain that children nowadays display short attention span. What influence does modern TV exert here?"
—Anna

Various studies have underlined the link between TV exposure in children 3-7 years of age and their attention span. Other factors include problems of concentration and changes to a child’s nervous system. The continuous vision of images on the screen captures the attention of the child, even when he is not able to understand what is presented to him.

In the first phases of a kid’s development, his gaze is directed like a reflex movement by the central nervous system until conscious mechanisms take over. This type of attention is not free, but compulsory, as when he is attracted by colors, movements, sounds, changing images and plans: it doesn’t come from his needs as when he plays a game, where the more developed child can explore his environment, touch and smell objects, and choose where to go and what he wants to do.

Besides, the background noise of a turned on TV distracts an infant’s attention from the play he is involved in. In an experiment, children of one, two and three years old were observed for periods of one hour while they were playing, both with a TV turned on, and while the TV was off. The moments of complete attention they paid to the game was about 25 percent less with a TV turned on.

Even if the TV was not the only factor that determined their attention span, the data indicates that it is better to turn off a TV for children to stay calm and pay more attention to what they are doing.

Nowadays, however, a parent does not have to contend only with the TV, which has almost become obsolete for children and teenagers, as their battle is now with computers and video games, surfing on their child’s smart phones or non-stop texting with their friends. Children 6 years old already know how to surf on the internet, even if it is just to watch the TV show Barney and Friends. This should make us all the more vigilant as to how our kids are spending their time and help us make that extra effort to “play” with them, rather than just leave them in front of a TV or the computer, so that we can go about our daily tasks.

Studies have also indicated that children who are exposed at an early age to TV or computer screens, are more inclined to display a very low attention span in later life. How many times have we seen teenagers studying for an exam with earphones on? Or how many kids claim they need to do a research paper on the computer, but will have multiple windows on, one of which is either Facebook or Twitter? Instead of completing their research paper faster, because of the other windows open to distract them, they take longer to do a task, become sleep-deprived, etc. They may seem to be able to multi-task, or do so many things at the same time, but the quality of their output becomes inferior.

We should encourage our children to focus on one thing or task at a time. If we can encourage them to make a list of things which need to be done, and then rank them according to priority or deadline, then perhaps they can channel their energy and make more productive use of their time. They cannot do everything at once, because too much, too soon can burn them out too. But concentrating on one task at a time can help them develop that interest in each thing they are currently faced with.

Another useful tip is to limit the time for watching television or using internet. A set schedule for everyone to follow, parents included, and one that is strictly adhered to, will guarantee an enjoyable quality time with family members, when TV time comes.

A child is formed at home, just as much as he is in school. What he learns at home, he brings to school. A greater cooperation must be undertaken between parents and teachers to ensure that our children don’t become robotic, impulse-driven individuals, but rather holistic persons able to establish a relationship with others, with their environment, and also with society.

Maria Rosa Pagliari, Jenni Bulan and Ting Nolasco

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