Many families try keeping up with modern societies standards and fighting to keep up with the Joneses, due to this many parents lack the time to spend with their children. Parents being too exhausted to come home from work and play with their kids rely on television to do the entertaining and playing with them. What these parents do not know is that their kids are being manipulated and brainwashed in the process. Its a vicious cycle, parents work to keep their kids happy meaning lesser hours to spend with their children and due to this children spend more time watching television wanting more expensive and "cooler" things.
I do not think parents should be to blame for this. The deregulation of marketing to kids in the 1980's is no doubt to blame. The government however likes that children are spending it keeps the economy afloat but what they don't realize is what long term effects this overwhelming marketing is having on children. Children are being brainwashed to want more, buy more because it will make them fit in more and it will make them cool. This abusive invasion of the minds of children has caused rises in ADHD, ADD, child obsesity and child diabetes.
In my opinion to resolve this horrible trend in marketing (aka brainwashing) children the government needs to step in again and save our children from these horrible marketing corporations. I'm not saying cut off advertisements to children all together but atleast give them some limitations to which they can study, observe and sell things to kids.
I agree with this to a certain extent. I think the blame should be placed on both parties 50/50. It is extremely bad that corporations have such control over the media, but parents have a responsibility as well. Like the other day, my fiance and I went to eat dinner at a restaurant and sitting next to us was a husband, wife, and their 2 year old. They had an iphone and it was playing some kind of cartoon, so loud that it was actually quite disturbing to us and the other tables. But they did this so their kid wouldn't cry or get out of control. I have to be honest, I would have rather the kid cry. It was extremely rude for them to do this. What happened to just letting your kid learn patience? I know that I may be a little judgemental about this. But, I remember being a kid on a car ride, listening to music, reading, coloring, or playing games. I had to figure out how to entertain myself.
ReplyDeleteI do try to stop myself, because I can see how tempting it must be to just set your kid in front of a DVD player or TV. My point of view comes from thinking about how cool it is that the technology has come so far. But there has to be limits and that is in the hands of parents. Giving in to your children teaches them to be short tempered, intolerable, and just plain old brats.
However, there is also a responsibility that corporations have. They have gone too far in their research. It is entirely unnecessary for them to be filming children taking baths and etc. just to get an idea of what children like. Its not hard to figure it out on your own.
I think it's deffinatly a price to pay. Advertisers do not think about the effects it has on children. It's a shame. I understand that the advertisers need to earn money; that's their job. But, why risk the children for that. If you look at today's children, you notice a lot more children have ADHD, and other attention deficits. There is a trend to a lot more of that and the watching of television increasing. The corporations do not care about that, they care about what they can sell, how much they can sell and who they can sell it to.
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