CHILDREN HAVE MORE ACCESS TO DEVICES AND MEDIA CONTENT THAN EVER BEFORE. HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THEM? HOW WILL THIS CHANGE THINGS FROM A MANAGERIAL PERSPECTIVE? WHAT ARE THE ETHICAL PITFALLS AND WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH TELL US?

Christina Orozco, Eliza Barry, Kheim Le, Olivia Carranza CRO474 ERB877, KHL433, OLC242

Problem Statement kids- "children ages eight to 18 devote an average

of seven hours and 38 minutes a day consuming some form of media for fun."

devices- "Kids, the survey showed, now spend more time listening to music, playing games and watching TV on their cell phones than talking on them. Perhaps more surprising: Only about three in 10 said their parents have rules about how much time they can spend watching TV or playing video games."

messages- ads, games, music, articles, products, etc.

Importance Children are considered a vulnerable population. Is

it ethical to target technology sales at them and, subsequently, subject them to more advertising on those devices that are intended for them?

Are children capable of making responsible decisions when confronted with media messages, especially advertising?

What effect will this have on their development as adult consumers? Will they have a heightened and keen sense of marketing tactics, or will they have instead developed an impulsive, must-have-it-now personality?  

Inputs Appealing/entertaining message

Relevance (cartoon “celebrity" endorsements)

Source: Television, cell phone/tablet apps/games, internet games

Forms: Video clip, pop up ad, commercial, product placement in a show

Outcomes Children:         -Heightened interest in the advertised product         -Unintentional engagement Parents:         -Less control         -Indirect manipulation Advertisers/Company:         -Vulnerable target audience                    -Easy to increase the interest in the company         -Awareness

Constructs Cognitive development- Children, especially

very young children, are not always capable of making informed decisions

Behavior change- Increased time receiving media messages may create behavior change (purchases)

Channels- Technology devices (smart phones, computers, tablets, gaming consoles, etc.)

Channels & Accessibility- Price, time, parents can limit a child's access (and interpretation) of media messages and devices

Constructs Advertisements/Promotion- takes

many forms online and through device-direct methods (i.e. made specifically for iPad)

Engagement/Interactivity- Judgement- defense against

persuasion, ability to accurately gauge intent of messages and product characteristics/utility

Applicable Theories- MAIN MAIN activities

are more natural for children (digital natives)

Applicable Theories- ELM Children in the

past have been considered unlikely to elaborate and almost totally peripheral processors. Past a certain age, is this still true?

Applicable Theories: Applicable Theories: Persuasion Knowledge Model

Due to their lack of knowledge of persuasive techniques, children are at greater risk of being manipulated by advertisements.  

"One of a consumer's primary tasks is to interpret and cope with the marketer's sales presentations and advertising... This knowledge helps them identify how, when, and why marketers try to influence them." (Friestad and Wright 1994).

Conclusions -Media messages are increasing in frequency of views

because of increased number of devices and time spent online

-Children spend more time online and ads are directed at them, despite the fact that they are considered a vulnerable population

-Children can access MAIN affordances but do not possess the cognitive heuristics to make sound judgements. They are likely to elaborate on peripheral cues and central cues in an interactive setting. They generally have less protection from persuasion because they lack the defenses mentioned in PKM.

-The combination of these theoretical concerns creates ethical issues practitioners and parents must acknowledge.

Managerial Recommendations Interactivity and Native Ads- Children learn better from

interactive experiences. Since they tend to process peripherally, native ads will get their attention without the use of blatant attention grabs (i.e. pop-ups). Give them educational content to ameliorate overall perceived negative effects.

Honesty and Ethics- Children are a vulnerable population. Manipulative advertising costs a company more than it is worth, especially because of child watchdog groups. Self regulation in the industry (AAAA, PRSA, etc.) to prevent deceptive ads and federal regulation.

Qualitative Research- Increase primary research into the effects of their advertising on children and parents.  To maintain self-regulation, advertisers should be willing to test their advertisements with children and observe both their reaction and the reactions of their parents.

Works Cited Calvert, Sandra L. "Children as Consumers: Advertising and Marketing." The Future of

Children 18.1 (2008): 205-34. JSTOR.Princeton University. Web

Friestad and Wright ,1994, Persuasion Knowledge Model article

Italie, Leanne. "Kids and Technology." The Network Journal 17.3 (2010): 51. ProQuest. Mar. 2010. Web.

Richard E. Petty, Joseph R. Priester and Pablo Brinol (2002), “Mass Media Attitude Change: Implications of the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion,” in J. Bryant and D. Zillmann (eds.), Media Effects, Erlbaum, 155-198.

Wyeth, Peta. "Agency, Tangible Technology and Young Children." Proceedings of the 6th

International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (2007): 101-04. ACM Digital Library. DOF, Det Obelske Familiefond. Web.

Xu, Qian, and Xue Dou. "The Role of Technology in Online Persuasion: A MAIN Model Perspective." By S. Shyam Sundar. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 355-72. Print.