Advertisements ‘increasingly aimed at kids’

LONDON - Kids are increasingly pestering their parents to buy them posh brands and latest technology, thanks to the rise of “aggressive” advertising aimed at them, says a study.

Prof David Buckingham, from the Institute of Education, part of the University of London, examined the impact of advertising on kids and family life.

The expert found children were being taken in by advertisers who targeted youngsters in their home, school and leisure time.

The 190-page study, commissioned by Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, also found that even parents were often drawn to the commercial pressures.

“Marketers clearly target parents through appealing to beliefs about good parenting, and to their emotional investments in their children,” the Telegraph quoted the study as saying.

It added: “Some argued that advertising was becoming more misleading and aggressive, creating desires in children and young people that could lead to ‘pester power’.” (ANI)