Ban Ads For Under 11 Year Olds

Advertising aimed at children of primary school age and younger should be banned, a group of authors, journalists and academics has said.

The group supports a new campaign called Leave our kids alone which says techniques aimed at manipulating adult emotions and desires are being used on children as young as two in the UK.

Mr Kent, a journalist and broadcaster, told the BBC he had seen the effect of advertising on his six-year-old son.

"He's like most children - if I don't get to the TV before him, he's grabbed the remote and found an ad," he said.

"It's like watching kiddie crack take hold, despite all our best efforts."

About 50 supporters of the campaign have signed a letter to the Telegraph which says advertisers make "heavy use of pester power because it is more effective than targeting parents directly".

The supporters include academics and childcare experts.

The letter says: "We are in danger of turning out generation after generation of young consumers rather than young citizens - people who define themselves more by what they buy and the objects they display rather than by what they can contribute to the society in which they live."

‘Leave Our Kids Alone’ petition sign and share https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-uk-government-we-want-an-immediate-end-to-all-advertising-aimed-at-children-under-11

Jonathan Kent, writer, broadcaster,
@Jolph http://jonathankent.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/leave-our-kids-alone/
Rupert Read, Chair of Green House,
http://rupertsread.blogspot.co.uk

Links:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/9985167/Advertisements-aimed-at-young-children-are-immoral-and-should-be-banned.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2307275/Ban-adverts-targeted-11s-Campaign-group-end-industry-built-childrens-pester-power.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/11/ban-advertising-young-children-yes
Join the campaign!
www.leaveourkidsalone.org

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22108722