2.+Consuming+Kids_The+Commercialization+of+Childhood

//**Please write your reflections to the question(s) on this page. Begin with your names in your triad then your response. For example:** //

**Patrick Lewis, 2nd name, 3rd name:** //After sharing this film with classes I find myself wondering what kind of messages and ideas are being conveyed to children and youth. In schools there are attempts to teach a certain set of ideas and values, however, the corporate world, mass media and the consumer culture teach another decidedly different set of ideas and values. Educators often respond with the need to teach media literacy, but I think it may be more than that; something beyond corporate literacy or any of the multiple literacies may be needed to provide a counter narrative or counter factual to the dominant story. So,....

**Jenna Jelisnki, Chelsea Hamilton, Jasmine Johnson:** What we found most disturbing was that marketing targets kids, but the actual needs and values of the child don't matter. The only thing that seems to be important is making money and getting their brand out there. Advertisements are a part of everyday life and there is no avoiding them, but there has to be an effort of the parent to not allow their child to be completely immersed in media. For example, the parent has to allow their children to socialize and use their own imagination instead of placing them in front of the "one eyed babysitter" and giving them toys that don't allow them to use their imaginations. Society has to start allowing parents to raise their own children and not the media. //

After watching this documentary, it seems very clear that children are being taught from a very young age that profit is the only thing that counts. Furthermore, the documentary outlined that the means one uses to turn a profit is exempt of any forms of morality, liability and concern for the consumer. Another message children receive is that their entire value is derived from the products they possess. That is to say their happiness and self-worth rely solely on the accumulation of desirable products. By doing this, the child’s psyche is being completely reinvented and transformed. As teachers, we need to protect and preserve childhood. We do a disservice to children when we allow their childhood to be squeezed out. By ridding the classroom of commercialized toys and paraphernalia, children can begin to develop their own creative play. It is important to provide students with ample opportunities to be active, in nature, and engage in creative play rather than simply taking the easy way out and sitting them in front of a TV. The comparison made between pedophiles and marketers struck us as being very disturbing yet accurate. Pedophiles are penalized for their actions, while marketers’ actions are ignored and often approved. Why is this distinction made? Is this right? How can this be changed?
 * Jenny Heinrichs, Annick LeBlanc, Johanna MacGregor**

After viewing this film we have found that children have a great amount of power in today's economy. Marketers are able to take advantage of this to sell products in such a way that children believe they must have it. Children will nag their parents until the product is bought for them. This is called the //nag factor//. It is unfortunate that there is media and advertising everywhere. This is causing children to not appreciate what they do have now as something new and more attractive is being produced daily. There are product placements not only in our daily lives but also in movies and shows which plant messages in children's lives without them even knowing it. There are things like Bus Radios where advertising is constantly being pumped out on their way to school and the children have no choice but to listen to it. It is said in this film that marketers are similar to pedophiles, they're child experts and know exactly what children are interested in. They study children's lives so they will know how to sell to them. This is called ethnographic research. They want to know how kids act, what grabs children's attention, what keeps children's attention. It is sad to see that children feel that what you buy is who you are and if you do not have the latest item you are thought of as less than. Boys are girls are taught how they should look and act and are not given the opportunity to make their own decisions anymore. Children are playing outside less and less and are being forced to reenact a certain show or movie with the products that are being produced.They are no longer using their own creativity and imagination to play but rather some company's interpretation of how these children should play. It is essential that children are engaging in face to face interaction to create a bonding relationship with others. They must also continue to be active instead of playing video games or watching movies as this may lead to obesity, learning disorders, or diabetes. How are we helping this problem if all we are doing is supporting these children's desire to have the latest toys or video games? It seems like society is giving into the issue instead of fighting it by doing such things as putting T.Vs in vehicles and making car seats wider for obese children. The film also talked about the new media that has come out that is supposed to be good and educational like Little Einstein and Brainy Baby. The films are supposed to teach, but there is no evidence that they do anything except play to parents insecurities. They probably actually do more harm as they take away the human interaction and the screen might also effect brain development. Its good to hear that Little Einstein is recalling their products as it shows they are taking responsibility for this issue.
 * Bethany Wagner, Sarah Ramer, Erin Toppings, Crystal McLean**

It is obvious that kids today are bombarded with constant advertising and marketing. Many children today are subject to advertisments that are flashy and that overexaggerate the usefulness of it. It is no wonder that children today are developing new disease and bad habits.
 * Brandee Braaten, Kimberly Covey, Natalie Dales:** This movie reflected on how marketers target children because they are easily swayed. It showed how every aspect of technology has advertising and how children are never safe from it. Throughout the movie there were a few things that got our attention, one being that the top ten best selling toys were based on kids shows. Proving that because kids are easily swayed to wanting what is cool, and in style at the time, they want the toys that go along with their favorite tv show or movie. The other thing that was interesting are that kids are being taught to want things because that specific thing is cool and if you don't have it, your not classified in the "cool group or being in style". By doing this they are taking away from the childs childhood experience by making them want what is in at the moment, and not being themselves. Marketers know that children are an easy target and can use the nag factor to get what they want. Marketers also use children in their ads because kids are the determining factor regarding what kind of computer or cellphone gets purchased. The movie also suggested that all the uprising epidemics such as obesity, ADHD, learning disabilites are caused by the overwhelming market of consumerism.


 * Charla Mahlum, Derek Manson, Chelsey Matheis:** This movie showed the negative effects that advertising have on children. First off, it installs in the children the "Nag Factor". It is important for parents not to give in or else the child will grow up believing that this is an acceptable behaviour. Plus then the child runs the parent-child relationship, where the child holds no respect for the parent. Secondly, the children's imagination is effected. They are made to believe that they can not play a certain role without the proper toys and accesories. The times of playing outside, with their own storylines is becoming a thing of the past, due to the increase in watching media and the marketing towards them. Thirdly, the children's values are being altered by what the advertising shows them. They are made to believe that they need all these products in order to be happy, when in reality, it is just about the having. They forget the ways that their parents taught them and adopt a new media-based view on their values. Basically, media has become the parent to many children, taking away the relationship between people and invading the home life. We are in a era where children will get anything they want, for the parents do not want their children to whine.


 * Becky Anderson, Kaitlyn Basler, Monique Dudragne**:This film discussed the effects on marketing towards children. We felt a big part of it was how the effect of different marketing causes a decrease in children's creative play. This was seen in the film through the marketing of items from movies that would allow children to replicate what they saw on TV and does not allow them to use their imaginations to create their own stories or ideas. This idea is a problem because it will cause a struggle in foundational learning practices which will continue to effect the children as they get older and are faced with more difficult situations. The market is so successful because it makes children believe that they can't imitate or play a game without the proper items that are being marketed to them. Another point that we found interesting was how Television markets towards children with bright flashing lights and intriguing graphics which are proven to capture their attention more prominently. As future teachers, we feel this is a problem because after children have been exposed to this type of television they will often struggle with focusing their minds in a classroom. We also believe that today's market has had a huge effect on the idea of children acting older then their actual age. The fact that children have been exposed to so much more at a younger age it has had an impact on their own thoughts, actions and feelings towards their worlds as they struggle to differentiate between fact and fiction.

We found this video on youtube, check it out! media type="youtube" key="tV7Lx6wPNz8" height="344" width="425"
 * Brooklyn Krause, Jillian Lundquist, Stephanie Jones:** After watching this video, we were surprised at how young children are maturing much quicker than we did at the same age. This is due to the advertisements in the media. Children are being told to act a certain way within our society. We were disturbed when the video explained how far some researchers go to create effective advertisements for young children. It was stated that some researchers even go into bathrooms with the children to see how they interact with their shampoo and other beauty products. The children are being exposed far too much for this marketing research. Marketers and parents should know that this type of research and advertising has truly gone too far. Kids need to be kids! Additionally, the most valuable thing a child can have is their own imagination. Advertising today strips kids of their creativity. In the past, when a child played with a toy, there was usually no prior knowledge of what to do with it, kids went wild and made up their own play. However, today kids toys mimic characters from tv shows and movies so the kids are told how to play. They are being told that their imaginations are not good enough and instead they should do what they see on television. Some parents today are very dependant on tv, almost using it as a babysitter. Some parents would rather have their kids sit quiet infront of the tv, rather than running around because that requires more attention. By doing this, parents are losing opportunities to bond with their children and they are depriving their children of free play. Children today become bored very easily because they do not have the skills to amuse themselves; they need a screen for enjoyment. In conclusion, we question if parents are really in control of their children, or has the media taken over?


 * Jen Meyer, Ashley Scherle, Sarah Todas:** After viewing the film, we felt very enlightened as to the different strategies marketers use in targeting certain age groups. This film displayed interesting facts about the impact marketing has on children and how children impact the market. One interesting point from the film, is about children' toys. Toys today put limits on children's ability to use and access, their imaginations. More often than not, children do not have to use or access their imaginations because they are told how to play by modeling the movies and t.v. shows they see. No one ever explains, or needs to explain how to watch the t.v. We found it disturbing, how market researchers test children's blinking patterns, in order to see how captivated they are by the commercial. Marketers want to make their ads so mesmerizing, that children will not blink during the thirty or so seconds of their ads. We also, found it quite interesting how brands feel the need to "hook children for life". Many children are growing up with certain brand tendencies, that once they have grown up, they have no idea where the certain likability came from.


 * Alexandra Woiden, Rebecca, Rink, Christa Schmelinsky: ** After viewing the film, Consuming Kids, a lot of questions have been raised. Is the media forcing children to age faster than they should? As teachers we realize the importance of childhood, play, and imagination. If the media is targeting children they are taking away these exciting creative moments in a child's life. Some of our fondest childhood memories are of imaginative play, what will happen when these memories are replaced by the memory of getting a new computer game? As teachers we will need to recognize child targeting and make the classroom a safe place to be without media influence. It won't be easy but with a close eye and a conscience decision we can protect our students from the power of the media. We were always very imaginative children who could play for hours in our room. We think that TV definitely crushes a child’s imagination. It doesn't allow them to create their own stories. Inevitably we create our own lives and shouldn't kids practice imagining their lives when they are little? We are undoubtedly seeing the upbringing of a very materialistic generation; a generation who are being brainwashed to buy into the corporate logos and characters who are ultimately defining their "imaginations" (or lack thereof)

One of the biggest problems we realized after watching the film was the increasingly fast rate at which children are maturing. One of the Statistics in the video that we found shocking was that a quarter of kids between the ages of 5 and 12 have a cell phone. It’s alarming the amount of money that is being spent advertising to children when they don’t have the developmental capabilities to understand that they are being targeted by advertisers, and they aren’t able to defend themselves against it.
 * Jocelyn Brubacher-Hines, Rebecca Frick, Whitney Bonnick: **

We found the extent that advertisers were willing to go to research their consumers incredibly invasive, such as watching them go to the bathroom and in the bathtub. Even the amount of advertisement that is already shown in the classroom, just so the teachers have enough resources. Teachers need to have proper resources in their classroom, and when there isn’t enough money they can get these resources by companies who donate them for little to no price with their logos printed on them. Teachers are providing these companies with free advertising to their students in exchange for these resources. As teachers we should be aware of this; is it necessary to incorporate advertising into the classroom when they are already inundated with it in every other realm of their lives?

After viewing the video on marketing and media, we were all very overwhelmed. The things that are stated in the video are so true it’s sad. The worst thing is that the people making these marketing and media things applicable to children not their parents, so that the children want it or need it, then it’s their job to convince their parents then the item is SOLD. These people jobs is to focus around the development of children and how children can persuade their parents in buying all sorts of things, from toys to sugared cereal. The amount of money that is spent on the marketing is ridiculous and should not be allowed. Do you really think all this money should be spent on commercials and such? Could this amount of money be spent in a better place? Should it be allowed that these marketers make these innocent children into lifelong consumers? it sounds as if the children's life and thier parents don't matter, its all about the money.
 * Chelsea Holmes, Janna Mailhot, Joni Mailhot:**

Another message that the marketing world is sending children is that materialism is more important than anything else. They ingrain the thought of materialism in children so that they compare themselves to other children constantly to see if they are better than or the same as their peer. Also, with the marketing world pushing this on the children, parents don’t stand a chance to let heir children grow up on their own because all they want is more and more toys. Marketing need to stop targeting children specifically in order for out children to grow up in a great environment, unpolluted by the thought of materialism and without the pressure from the media.
 * Bradie Mann, Katy Kohli and Candy Lam:** After watching this video, we are shocked that the market is allowed to specifically target children in order to sell their product. We believe that children should not be used as an advertisement tool. Another point that makes sense to us is the fact that toys nowadays are basically not meant to be played with, they are meant for children to watch the toy play by itself (ie. Spiderman figure bouncing by itself). We feel strongly about the fact that children should be given a chance to have a toy where they can use their imagination in order to develop that sense of imagination.

The world today is a mass cluster of ads- pitching an array of products specifically for kids, from video games to cell phones. There’s kiddie makeup available in drugstores, a whole aisle in grocery stores devoted to character fruit gummies, checkout lines filled with eye level temptations, T.V commercials, songs, movies, magazine ads...all devoted to sell to children. The fact that kid-marketing techniques have become more sophisticated over the years, and kids ability to analyze and discern hasn't (they’re still as innocent and gullible as their parents were when they were children) is evidence that what marketers are doing is dishonest and wrong! It is said that kids under six years of age can’t distinguish between program content and ads. Not surprisingly, the whole idea of “sponsors” and “paid messages” is misunderstood by average preschooler. Young children don’t realize that ads are showing products in idealized settings. Most children are oblivious to the fact that ads can distort, exaggerate or even misrepresent the performance of toys. The fine print that points out the toy is “not exactly as shown,” or the sugary snack is “part of a complete breakfast,” goes right over their heads. Ads are created to be subtle and deceitful. They equate buying a product with fun, popularity and self-worth. The “Nag Factor” is hard to resist, especially for today’s parents. Fewer children, bigger incomes and more guilt mean parents are more likely to give in and buy the SpongeBob sneakers, or the Scooby Doo crackers. So what’s to be done? Some people say that exposing children to advertising early will help teach them to be smarter consumers. The fact is kids simply don’t have the cognitive tools to deal with a mass of seductive ad messages. Decreasing media consumption is one way to limit the effects of advertising on young children. Or simply limiting the amount of advertising aimed at children is another. This has been done in Quebec, ads aimed at children under 13 are banned, as they should be. The consumer protection act sections 248 and 249 state: 248. No person may make use of commercial advertising directed at persons under thirteen years of age. 249. To determine whether or not an advertisement is directed at persons under thirteen years of age, account must be taken of the context of its presentation, and in particular of (a) the nature and intended purpose of the goods advertised; (b) the manner of presenting such advertisement; (c) the time and place it is shown. Children will always be exposed to ads, but indirectly. In the same way they are to adults who drink and smoke. This is why parents and teachers should educate children about advertising and consumerism.
 * Kara Oak, Courtney Oyka, Justin Matheson**

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In this film it was apawling to learn how advertisers are exploiting and micro analysing children to the point where it basically becomes like stocking. In this film it was apawling to learn how advertisers are exploiting and micro analysing children to the point where it basically becomes like stocking. Advertisers are creating and marketing new values for children. Materialistic and consumption values. Children are also growing up way faster now a days and the media is taking advantage of the. Children are being targeted at young ages and it is easy to see that a result is the lose of creative and imaginative play. When we were younger many of us probably used sticks as wands, canes, or even swords to fight evil creatures. We could pretend that old buckets were pots and make a stew with anything we wanded. Now many children need the right toys in order for them to play. Worse is that much of children’s play is now conducted on computers where all the activities are outlined for them leaving no room for imagination, and increases the lack in physical activity.======

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The worst part is having the influence of advertising in schools, where children spend a substansial amount of time. Schools should be focused on strengthening the growth of well rounded children, not subject them to the world of consummerism.======

We thought the most shocking fact in this film was the amount of money used to target small children through advertising. Even more disturbing was the fact that when this was brought to the attention of the government, guidelines were changed to ensure that this could not be changed. Especially in today's generation, where children watch more t.v. and video games than they go outside, these advertisements are being pushed on them at an alarming rate. With these images constantly being shown to children it makes it hard for them to not want what they are constantly seeing. Children are losing their imagination because it is no longer enough; they need the proper toy in order to play the game, or it simply is not the right game. Even when children do get out, such as going to school, they are bombarded with advertisements. It is a very disturbing fact to think that schools are selling themselves to brands, further projecting these brands to their students. These children are learning what products they should use between classes, and even in classes, in a place where they are suppose to feel safe. Society is concerned about the climbing obese rate in today's generation, yet there are always soft drink and junk food machines in school hallways. To us, this gives the image that a quick dollar made off of these machines is more important than the children's health. Children need to be able to be children, not life consumers. If advertising keeps up at this rate, soon people will no longer be able to afford to have children, simply because of the demands that advertising has created.
 * Amy McDonald, Alannah Vermeer & Mark Siemens**

The idea of media having such a profound influence on our daily lives is something we all need to be aware of. The media is being imported into our homes and lives on a daily basis at extreme rates. While, as adults, we may be aware of some of the influence the media has on us personally, we also need to be aware of the media that is being aimed at our children and youth. It is scary to think about the amount of time, money, and research being spent on media for our children. As educators, we need to know how to make children media aware. The most important aspect we need to realize, is the effect the toys modeled after popular movies and television have on the way children play. It is scary to think how modeling play after movies and television can take so much away from children. Their creativity and so much learning opportunity is lost when they are given the barriers of preconceived story lines. The media companies that are trying to mold children into lifelong buyers only have money in mind, and as teachers we need to counteract media influence and create a balance in the lives of students.
 * Caitlan Schmidt, Seanna Puszkar, Kristal Stocki, Candace Pepper**

We found this film to be very shocking. The thing that really hit home was how marketers that target children can be compared to pedophiles as they are "child experts". This is very disturbing. However, it is an accurate comparison. The movie also mentioned that children are being watched at school, at home, eating, at the grocery store, in their closet, even in the bathroom to see how a child reacts to a certain product. How is this being allowed? Aren't there laws against this kind of thing? It is obvious that children need to use their imaginations to play, but this film suggested that imagination isn't good enough anymore. Children that are being raised nowadays ** in front of a television, computer, portable DVD player, Nintendo DS, Xbox, etc. It has reached a point that these children constantly need a screen in front of them to entertain themselves. In turn, this leads to serious problems such as obesity and ADHD. How can we just sit back and watch this happen to young children?
 * Vanessa, Chris, Brittany

This video was very insightful. One phrase that stuck out was the idea that advertisers want to instill brand loyalty in humans from "cradle to grave" and ensure people buy their products. It is sad to see the prominence of advertisement in schools. There are Coca-Cola logos on everything, from score boards, football fields, basketball jerseys and of course, vending machines in the hallways. It does not seem morally right that children are bombarded by advertisements on such a massive scale. They are still developing their own values and self-identities; these essential qualities are being jeopardized by media influence. Another thing that stuck out was the idea that "what you buy is what you are". Many people firmly believe that if they buy higher priced clothing or items, thatn it will make them feel and look more important. This made me think of back to school shopping. Every year I buy a new nice and fancy binder, and in many cases more than one! Could I use last years binder? Yes. Do I want to? No. There is nothing wrong with the binder that I used last year but I feel better about myself buying a new one. Commercials, fliers and many other forms or media tempt me into buy a new binder and I always give in. Another interesting concept provoked in the video was the idea that consumer's target children, due to their ignorance and vulnerability; once a child sees something and wants it, they usually do not give up until the parents give in, which is a sneaky way to make profit. However the idea that child marketing experts were associated with the same characteristics of a pedophile (knows what they like, how to get their attention, etc.) was slightly disturbing. The video indicated that the marketers focus on younger children because they are the buyers of the future.
 * Jerilee Wright, Alison Wiks, Jennette Skene**

Today’s children are constantly visually stimulated by television, videos, and electronic toys because it is easier for parents and caregivers to keep children busy. It is a very electronic based era that believes that children need to be constantly visually stimulated. The days of imagination and creative play are replaced by toys that they turn on and watch as opposed to physically manipulate. These products have been marketed from movies and TV shows which have created the stories for the children to re-enact rather than create. These toys and symbols appear on everything from books to clothing. Marketers are brilliant because they do research that focuses on children’s attention spans and interests which targets their advertising campaigns.
 * Amy Burghart,Alan Bashforth and Sandra Davis**

The US the congress passed legislation that gave marketers free reign on what they can advertise and to whom. We feel that marketing to children should be regulated because children are not developmentally capable of understanding and synthesising the messages or knowing that they do not need all of these products. What have we let our world come to when we let the big companies, such as Coke and Pepsi, control our education system in exchange for financial support? Do we want our future controlled by these companies or do we want to create our own future?

**Amanda Baker, Kayla Brodner, Tara Baade**
====We found it sick that the marketers of today's world think it is okay to deceive and corrupt our children with terrible values, in order to make a profit. Our children are growing up in a world that is surrounded by screens and technology and Marketers are using this as an advantage to make money. Instilling in our kids the values such as that they need more toys in order to be happy, or that it is all about them and that unless they have money to buy a ton of stuff they won't live a good life, is disturbing and completely unfair to the children, as well as to their parents. Marketers do not have the right to raise our children, that is a parents job. The marketers are not looking out for our children or thinking about the needs and benefits of our children, They can just see dollar signs. Parenting needs to be left up to the actual parent, not the television, radio, internet, etcetera! If something is not done soon, our children are going to be so brainwashed that the good morals left in our society are going to disappear for good! ====

Children are now determining the products that the parents are purchasing for the family such as cars, cell phones, groceries and of course toys. Children are sponges and they remember so many things. These large corporations realize this and take full advantage of it. Ninja Turtles were one of the first commercialized toy that was placed on the Market. It was a huge success and since then the market has increased 35% in child consumers. When we were younger it was rarely heard of to have a cell phone. Now, children 8-12 years of age, 5.3 million have one. It is crazy to think about, and wonder what our world is coming to. Companies are only caring about the money, not the affects on children’s and families.
 * Karli, Amanda and Chelsea **

This movie made us think about how now children want and beg for the brand name items. Children have a lot more privileges than we did when we were children. This has a lot to do with the parents giving in to their children and giving them anything they ask for. Where as when we were growing up having the brand name items was not as important, and we know people who refuse to where brand name logos because they do not want to be a walking billboard. Which we think needs to be talked about with children because they do not understand the impact they are making not only in being branded for the companies but as well as their parents wallets. Parents and Educators need to watch out for the children in what they are being exposed to either from TV, internet or their friends as well as endless other sources that influence them.
 * Stephanie Brown, Terra Gignac**

We are in stronger agreement with the Consuming Kids video than with the Mickey Mouse Monopoly Video. It surprised us to learn that marketing aimed towards children has only been big since about the 70's. We were also surprised to learn the extent to which the media relies on children to buy their products. We wholeheartedly agree that children should not have to own all the merchendice to enjoy the various books, tv shows, and movies. Children are very susceptible to advertising and it seems unfair and immoral to play off their weaknesses to sell products. We also agree to take away the use of their imaginations and creative play, if all they are doing is imitating the scenes from their favorite books, tv shows, and movies. Children are forced to multi-task with more than one piece of technology causing them to grow up faster and lose important aspects of their childhood, as well as causing serious health problems, such as diabeties and obesity. For this reason adults have to be careful with teaching our children about media, and teach them to become well educated consumers.
 * Nicole Delorme, Adele Burns, & Mikaela Diacon:**

We feel that this movie was right in their stance on how children are commercialized in todays society. We agree that kids are drowning in media and that media is trying to convince children that life is about buying and getting. It is disturbing to think that media is trying to turn children into life long consumers and not consider the long term affects on children, such as an increase in ADHD, hypertension, depression, and obesity. Kids are exposed to brand names and labels everywhere they turn because there are no boundaries. Even though we agree with their argument, we feel it needs to be mentioned that some of the video clips were used out of context. The clips they used of Hannah Montana portrays the girl to be all about having money, being popular, and being egocentric, where in the real episode this portrayal was not looked at as a positive thing. Kids have been forced to grow up quickly. This is evident in the ways that ratings of movies have changed. What was once considered an R movie is now rated PG. Kids are quickly be desensitized with the high levels of violent images in movies and video games. We were also very disturbed with the information they gave us about how researchers were following children into bathrooms to figure out how to market their products. Companies are obviously going too far to sell their products to todays youth. It is unfortunate that making money is more important than the child's well being.
 * Broderick, Amy, Flaman**

Our group was unified in our concern over this documentary. Recognizing the fact that we were also being manipulated to a certain extent to believe the argument through the choice of music and images, we still felt it had a very serious message. The fact that marketers will no longer even ask permission to invade and report on the lives of children does not seem ethical or even legal; it manipulates children through their emotional attachments when they don’t yet have the cognitive ability to think critically about it. We were also concerned that media is changing the way that children play creatively, and influences them to identify their identity with a brand-name. Most of the blame was put on marketing companies, but it’s also important to recognize the role of the parents. Parents who want the status of buying brand-name things for their children, or parents who meet their children’s emotional needs through things rather than time. The attitude that ‘the more stuff you have, the happier you are’ is one that permeates our whole culture, and it takes a strong person to stand against that.
 * Nathan Wagner, Kelsi McGillivray, Chelsey Skibinski**

The age that advertising attacks children is becoming younger and younger. The idea of a Tween, for example, is between 6 and 12, and can be as low as 4. The idea is to be older and more mature, but faster. Advertising to children is unfair! Kids are being put up against the smartest people in society. The advertisements children see have been tested and proven by child psychologists so that they can get into a child's brain. Advertisers can go as far as becoming a "marketing pedophile," even following them into the washroom to observe reactions and interactions to products. We think the amount of advertising to children is ridiculous. They see it everywhere - in schools, on TV, on the street, on cell phones, computers, billboards, etc. All of these advertisements are trying to get into their heads to get them to buy certain things, uphold certain values, and think a certain way. Most of the world's spending is influenced by children, who are told by the marketers what they want. The problem with the amount of advertising going into children is that they take away the imaginative abilities of the children. They are what to play, and how to play. The fact is that creative play is much more beneficial to children, but their imaginations have been lost in light of the television screen. In fact, creative play in 9-12 year olds has declined 94%. The results are staggering. Children see and imitate what they see in advertisements. In the present, they are influenced as much, or more, by media than by the adults around them. The battle of a parent against the media is not one they can win on their own. They need the help from society and the media to teach children valuable lessons, rather than the consumerism lifestyle they see. Children see, children do, and this is unfair. We found this video that illustrates this. We need to make sure that the images children see are positive, because they are influential. media type="youtube" key="CWUtywfwsMw" height="344" width="425"
 * Sarah B., Nicole G., Gabrielle D.**

It is important that both educators and parents need to teach their children that what they see on tv and in the media is not real. That we have to catch children at an early age because ads keep targeting children at younger ages, even to the point of babies and toddlers. This is to get the children to make the parents get what they see on tv just to make their children happy. One of the easiest things to do is to avoid tv, the more time spent away from the tv the better. Even though this might be a hard task to do, it is a good start to a healthy lifestyle. Although there are ads everywhere including their school it is nessary to discuss with their child or student that they don't need these objects or things that the ads are displaying just to be happy. Simply parents need to learn to say "NO" and stand by it to their child instead of giving in because they don't want to hurt or make their child cry. As they are becoming more and more dominant everywhere we look but the more people that take a stand towards these ads and the sooner we teach children that no means no and that they don't need these things to be happy, the better the opportunity that these children will not buy into these ads.
 * Sheldon Hand, Kerri Koback, Oliva Holman**

As both a parent and as an educator I will say I was completely disgusted by the way these people manipulate the kids and take away their innocence. As a mother who does not have money to buy brand name clothes, toys, and other merchandise I have had a real eye opener. It used to bother me when my daughter would ask for expensive toys and clothes and I could not afford to get them for her because I was afraid she would be an outcast or made fun of and therefore end up with a low self-esteem. She still constantly begs for things with Hanna Montana and other people on them and I was disgusted to see how these "pedophiles" pray on kids. If it's not the commercials she sees, then it is her friends that have the things. As a teacher I believe it is dangerous for all kids because they do not understand what is going on. The way they look at it is either they have it or they don't. Generally if they have it, they are affected negatively because they will always expect to get what they want and it will be damaging when they are adults and have to make their own way. If they don't have it they are affected negatively because they are often isolated from the kids that do have these things and they develop low self- esteem. I was blown away that people actually study how kids react to commercials and how many times they have to beg to get what they want. This is complete disregard for kids well being and kids are being severely damaged by these people who are trying to make MORE money. From now on I will not be worried about buying the brand name things and expensive toys, my focus has shifted to making sure my daughter and other children understand that they do not need these things to feel good. I will make sure my daughter has a positive sense of herself because of what she does and who she is and NOT because of what she has.
 * Terra Albert**