Marketing to kids--yes or no?

In a recent Sixth Sense/YouGov survey, 49% of UK adults said yes, it's OK to market to children. The other half of adults surveyed think it's NOT OK to market to children.

As the debate continues, some adults are signing online petitions posted by Leave our kids ALONE. This group wants to ban advertising messages targeting children who are 11 and younger. One member wrote an opinion piece for the Guardian, pointing out the rising tide of marketing surrounding children at school, at home and in daily life.

The Advertising Standards Authority, which regulates UK ads and is looking closely at the issue of marketing to children, tells the BBC: 'Regulation in this area is deliberately strict, but proportionate and based on the best available evidence'.

Changes in media technology are responsible, in part, for adding urgency to the question of whether marketers should target children. An article in Marketing Week notes that 'The rise of digital communication channels and in-school advertising, in particular have been singled out as stress points by parents who claim there is a lack of control over messaging to youngsters'.
 
On the other hand, the 8-16-year-olds polled in the Sixth Sense/YouGov research said they recognised the reason for advertising's existence. Nearly all were aware that ads seek to get them to buy. In other words, as long as children understand what marketing is about and why it's all around them, they are better positioned to analyse the messages and make a more informed decision about how to react.

Still, some marketers are choosing to curtail marketing to youngsters. Coca-Cola is no longer going to advertise to  children under 12 in any market. Effectively, however, this means not advertising in media where children make up more than 35% of the audience.

The debate continues: What are the ethics of marketing to children?