CHILDREN ADVERTISING LITERACY AND DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS

Abstract

Advertisements in the modern age of internet media are increasingly interspersed with both educational and entertaining material (e.g., on a website, in an online game, etc.). In light of this, it is more difficult to notice and interpret these commercials, especially for younger and less skilled customers. Children, in contrast to adults, are more susceptible to advertising because they are less likely to recognize the commercial’s motivation behind such communications. Since children have a far less informed understanding of the real objective of advertising (like: persuading and selling), it has been argued that children are more susceptible to "unfair" influence from it than adults. In recent decades, this area (children susceptibility towards advertising) has prompted increased public and governmental concerns and heated discussions. Brian Young (1990), in his seminal review, proposed a research agenda pertaining to some important issues on children and advertising, such as whether or not children can comprehend advertising, how and when they acquire advertising-related knowledge, and how educational programmed can improve children's understanding of advertising. Consequently, he laid the ground for research into what has been termed "advertising literacy." This article will focus on the different viewpoints of researchers about advertising literacy and traditional vs. non-traditional form of advertising. At the very end new challenges in the field of advertisements and potential next steps were discussed.