Risks of Exposure: The Influence of Food Advertising on Children’s Consumption

Abstract

As commercial TV grew more controversial during the 1970s, policymakers at the FTC asked marketing researchers to study the impact of TV ads on children’s choices. Ward et al. (1977) developed a regression model to study the multiple risk factors determining children’s consumerism. They found that the level of exposure to TV advertising was positively correlated with attitudes to advertising, requests for advertised goods and the intensity of family conflict over purchases. Developmental factors were also shown to be involved in the formation of children’s product preferences and ability to shop, when cognitive and information-processing skills are controlled in empirical studies. Recognizing the mitigating factors in family life involved in consumer socialization, these researchers suggested that the regulation of advertising to children might be helpful not only in protecting very young children from persuasion they don’t fully understand but in reducing family conflicts over lifestyle choices.