Kids and the Media

Before we left for spring break, Sal showed us a video about the effect of commercials on kids. Although I had always known that commercials were meant to target specific groups of people, I was shocked to see how many companies deliberately targeted young children. When I was younger, I remember seeing commericals on Nickelodeon that would speak directly to children, saying things like, "Go ask mom and dad to sign you up!". I never really thought about the impact that commercials really have on you, especially when they speak directly to you.

When I lived in California, I spent a lot of time at my neighbors house with her granddaughter, Nicole. Nicole was raised very differently than I was; for example, she wasn't allowed to read certain books, wasn't allowed to eat most types of candy, and her parents always made her mute the TV whenever a commercial break came on. At first, I thought her parents were just being psycho and overly strict. But now that I'm older, I'm able to see how much influence a commercial can have on a child, and how Nicole's parents were simply trying to shield her from that influence. Rather than being overprotective, they were enabling her to form her own opinions and desires that wouldn't just be based on which commercial had the coolest graphics.

Another interesting idea in the video was the Baby Einstein DVDs. I work at the library, and I can't tell you how many mothers I see checking out those very same movies for their infants and toddlers. My mom bought them for my brothers when they were babies, too. But after watching the video in Sociology, it makes perfect sense that these videos do nothing but decrease a child's attention span. If they're parked in from of a television from day one, how can they possibly learn to enjoy anything without special effects and background music? The Baby Einstein videos don't even show anything educational! Half the time, all you see is stuffed animals moving around on the screen and Mozart playing in the background.

I don't think you can blame any of those moms for showing their babies Baby Einstein, though. They're just trying to do what they think is right for their kids. They don't know any better... and how could they? The media bombards us with false information, as if sitting your kid in front of a television could possibly increase their IQ. The media brainwashes us into believing these commercials; people aren't skeptical enough of what they see on TV. And it's especially unfortunate that these companies don't just aim for adults anymore, they're targeting kids.