(static) (light music)
- [Boy] Here's why we need Wii U.
(static) - Anyone can be
like a superhero. (static)
- Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids.
(static) - Hi, I'm Brett.
Kids spend a lot of time on screens these days
and where there are screens, there are ads
and lots of them.
In this video,
you're gonna learn how advertising rewires kids brains.
(crowd cheering)
Carl Sagan once said that the visions
we offer our children shape the future.
But these days,
we're not treating kids like shapers of the future.
We're treating them like shoppers of the future.
How?
By serving up ads everywhere;
on TV, with product placements in the shows they watch,
in apps, and even in video games.
But kids don't always understand
that advertising isn't designed
to shape them into healthy, happy adults.
It's designed to sell them more stuff.
Some marketers even intentionally take advantage
of young people's insecurities and their desire to fit in.
(horn honks)
- Get in loser, we're going shopping.
- And that's all because advertisers care about
what's best for their bottom line, not what's best for kids.
So what do children learn
from this constant stream of advertising?
Kids learn that buying more stuff leads to more happiness.
In short, the more ads kids see,
the more materialistic they become.
That means that they're more likely
to say they wanna be rich and famous when they grow up
and that having lots of money is important.
To learn more, I talked to this guy,
Josh from Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood,
explains some of the consequences
of these materialistic values.
- Research shows that kids who are more materialistic
report lower levels of happiness
and that's not surprising, given that materialism teaches us
that stuff is what's important.
In fact, it's actually our relationships
and our life satisfaction that makes us happy.
- These materialistic kids
also have lower academic performance,
and that may be because they're more concerned
with appearing successful
than actually learning new skills and ideas.
And when it comes to sharing and caring,
well, they don't care about that either.
- When asked what they would do with the money
if they won the lottery,
kids who are more materialistic are less likely
to say they would use that money to help others.
- Oh yeah, they're less likely
to care about the environment, too.
- The research shows that materialistic kids are less likely
to recycle or turn off the lights when they leave a room.
- But advertising doesn't just affect kids' brains,
it's harming their bodies, too.
About 98% of televised food ads
that kids see are for unhealthy foods,
like soda, candy, and fast food.
- [Josh] Studies have shown the more ads for unhealthy food
that kids see, the more of this
unhealthy food that they eat,
raising their risk for obesity, diabetes,
and other health complications.
Black and Hispanic kids and teens are exposed
to twice as much junk food marketing
as their white peers.
- So, yeah, advertising is really bad for children,
and for society at large, but here's the good news.
- People know that advertising to children is a problem.
In one poll in 2014, 57% of respondents supported
banning all advertising to children.
- You can be part of the solution, too.
Let's help kids understand what commercials
and marketing are all about,
and teach them that more stuff
doesn't bring more happiness.
Just as kids learn negative lessons from advertising,
they can unlearn it, too.
And that starts by asking questions.
- If you watch media with your children,
that gives you the opportunity to have conversations
when the advertisements come on.
You can ask your children,
what is the ad trying to do?
Who made it?
But it's also important to reduce children's screen time.
Not only will that improve their academic performance,
help with their relationships,
and make them more physically healthy,
but it will also reduce their exposure to advertising,
which is trying to convince them of the big lie,
that stuff will make them happy.
- Groups like the Campaign
for a Commercial-Free Childhood can help.
- So the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
has all sorts of resources to help parents
and caregivers reduce the amount of time
that children spend with ad supported screens.
And finally, we advocate for policies
that would protect children from marketing.
Because if we want less materialistic kids,
it's important that we change the rules of society,
so that all kids have a chance to grow up
and be citizens first and consumers later.
- Thanks for watching.
Did we miss anything?
Let us know in the comments below.
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