Ban Advertising?

There are clear ethical reasons to ban the advertising to children, as their early stage of cognitive development prevents them from being able to distinguish an advertisement from a programme. In addition there is a lack of insight; they are unaware that advertisers have ulterior motives and are biased. Unfortunately there are reasons to suggest that a ban on advertising, aimed at children, would have a limited impact. Increasingly the television watched by children is aimed at a family audience, where advertisements would not be banned. Over time, there has been a smaller proportion of advertisements viewed by children that are seen on television, when as more are viewed online. There are reports that a television ban simply redirects advertising to places that are unpoliced, making the ban ineffective.