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Little Consumers
The Effects of Commercials on Toddlers and Preschoolers
By Teri Brown
According to Dr. Vazzana, a task force from The American Psychological Association examined a series of studies finding that children are able to recall content from the ads to which they've been exposed. Children's preference for a particular product has been shown to occur with as little as a single commercial exposure and to strengthen with repeated exposures. Most important, studies have shown that their product preferences translate into requests that ultimately influence parents' purchasing decisions.
"Below the age of 4 or 5, children are unable to consistently discriminate television programs from the commercials," Dr. Vazzana says. "By about 5 years old, they are aware of superficial differences between the two. For example, they might recognize that commercials are shorter than television programs. Children under the age of 8 accept the information presented in commercials as truthful, accurate and unbiased."
Parents should be aware that watching television – and other screen-time activities like using the computer and playing videogames – is a risk factor for child obesity. It is a sedentary activity that may displace children's involvement in physical activity. A second point to keep in mind is the prevalence of food exposures on television.
"In addition to the quantity of food advertisements seen on television, the rate of eating within the television programs themselves is high," Dr. Vazzana says. "At some point during most television shows, characters are shown eating. The frequency of visual cues, both in commercials and in television programs, may stimulate children to eat as well. When they do so, they tend to choose snack foods that are high in sugar and fat, much like those they've just observed on the television."
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