A Meta-Analysis of the Ethical and Regulatory Issues Surrounding Advertising to Children

Abstract

Advertising to children has widely been recognised as an increasingly important topic within marketing. With the mediums used for advertising broadening, it has becoming increasingly difficult for parents to police their children’s exposure to advertising and to understand the extent to which children are aware of its persuasive intent. Furthermore, the lines between advertising and entertainment have become increasingly blurred, leading to it becoming more difficult for children to differentiate between them. There is also an ethical debate as to whether it is businesses’ responsibility to protect children or whether their aims should be solely commercial. This research explores, using a meta-analytical approach, whether advertising in its many forms has caused a number of issues and if so, what the possible solutions are according to leading academics, practitioners and policy makers. The paper concludes that the majority of the research suggests that advertising regulation is inadequate. Thus, alternate solutions are considered.