What are the impacts that television advertisements have on our children's health?

          In 1941, the first advertisement took the air on television (Luckin 2013). Therefore, televised advertisements have been on television for over 75 years. Before that, the first-ever form of advertisements dates back to Egyptian Hieroglyphics in 138 B.C. People have been exposed to advertisements for thousands of years. However, technology changed how prominent advertisements became in our lives. People are exposed to advertisements while watching tv, listening to the radio in the car, and even scrolling through different smartphone applications and internet sites. Advertisements use an array of psychology and marketing techniques to appeal to their targeted audience. For example, if the advertisements are appealing to children they may try making the advertisement colorful, fun, and include children or a catchy jingle to catch the child’s attention. So, if they are successful, what are actually the effects of this? More specifically, how are advertisements affecting our youth’s physical health? 

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        Although advertisements promoting sugary foods in a fun and creative way may seem completely harmless, many people believe that that may not be true. Depending on the product, an advertisement can have a major impact on the decisions both children and their parents make. Many people argue that television advertisements are a negative technique to display a product especially to children who are easily manipulated. However, research demonstrates that advertisements can have positive outcomes when created properly. Further exploration and the implications of regulations either by the government or television program companies can be performed to lessen some of the negative effects advertisements that may be cause negative health issues in children. With the increase of technology and an increase in the time children spend watching television, further research and focus are needed to understand how advertisements can affect children’s health. This website displays three different arguments that give a different understanding, need, and opinion about advertisements displayed to children on television programs that allow you to think critically about the effects advertisements may have.