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The Moving Finger by Lionel Wijesiri

Prior to attending kindergarten, the average Sri Lankan child will see a minimum 2,000 hours of television. By the time most children pass out from primary school, they will have watched an estimated 10000 hours of TV.

During these thousands of hours, the children view commercial after commercial and it has been shown that many of these commercials are targeted towards children. This abundant exposure to commercials has raised many concerns about how these advertisements affect children psychologically.

Many people believe that children are being manipulated by advertisements, which affects the way the children think and live. Advertisements directed to children are most frequently for biscuits, breakfast cereals, snacks, soft drinks, tooth paste and fast foods.

Young children are particularly vulnerable to advertising as they are unable to distinguish advertising from programs. US researchers such as Don Roberts of Stanford University say that children under age of 5 or 6 do not distinguish effectively between advertisements and the programs they are watching.

Many of the advertisements use techniques that mislead children as to the worth or performance of the product. As Roberts says, to understand selling intent, the child has to be able to take the perspective of another, and to understand that the seller will engage in puffery, trickery, and exaggeration in order to sell. Children are effective influencers of family purchases, pestering their parents to buy products that they neither need nor really understand.

Advertising pressures can produce significant conflict between parents and children. Many vulnerable families succumb, spending money they can least afford. The "pester power" often works. Benefits.

The advertising industry has responded to these arguments by citing the benefits exposure to advertising may bring to children. For example, advertisers have claimed that advertising presents information that enhances children's social development, thus helping to prepare them for adulthood. Independent researchers have also argued that advertising does not rely only on negative role models or images, but instead frequently features characters opposing injustice, as well as people who display kindness, sensitivity and a concern for others.

Many advertisers have adopted voluntary codes of conduct to govern their affairs, that not all advertisers contribute to this problem to the same degree, and that some advertising promotes positive values. But it is clear that our children need and deserve a much greater degree of protection.

For parents, their children are priceless gifts. For the businessmen, the children are customers, and childhood is a "market segment" to be exploited.

ABA.

How do we solve the problem? Perhaps, we could take a cue from the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) and Hungarian Code of Advertising Ethics. The Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) has a set of legally binding standards for advertising directed to children that occurs within programs. There are limits on the amount of time occupied by the advertisements.

Basically they require that no advertisement may mislead or deceive a child, and that the techniques used in ads should fairly represent the product.

There are requirements that apply to the promotion of "premium offers" (the trinket a child gets if they buy some other product such as a fast food meal).

Code of Ethics.

The Hungarian Code of Advertising Ethics has been drawn up with the purpose of providing norms in trading ethics for those engaged in advertising activities in Hungary. It is envisaged that through its application, the self-regulation of the trade is implemented.

Under the heading - Protecting of Children and the Young - it specifies: (1) An advertisement made for or featuring children and young people may not include any statement, visual appearance or sound effect that could damage them intellectually, morally or physically and make use of their credulousness, inexperience and view of world. (2) An advertisement may not conduce in children the feeling that if they do not purchase the goods advertised, they need to feel shame or disadvantage. (3) An advertisement may not damage respect that children and young people have for parents and teachers, and may not encourage disobedience against them.

(4) An advertisement may not make any unfair use of the trust children and the young have in their parents and teachers. (5) An advertisement aimed at children may not encourage them to seek or establish contact for any reason with persons unknown to them. (6) Children and young people may not feature in the advertising of any products and services which are basically unsuitable for advertising. (7) A product hazardous to health may not be advertised in any advertisement aimed at children or the young, nor should children or young people feature in any such advertisement. (8) Advertising in a public educational institution may be carried out only with the permission of the institute's principal. The obligation to obtain such permission applies to the character of the product and service advertised, to the substance of advertisement, to the method of advertising and to the place of publication as well.

Parents too have a role to play. They must educate children to be responsible and informed consumers. A variety of resources should be developed to help parents teach children that commercials are designed to sell products. These resources should be made available to parents through schools, libraries, and public offices.

School-based curricula that teach children and adolescents media literacy should also be developed and disseminated.

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