The consequences of advertisement on young people Essay

The consequences of advertisement on young people - Essay Example Targeting of children as consumers of advertisements is ignoring the fact that they are not cognitively as developed as adults and thus, will not relate to the advertisements as adults do. There is sufficient evidence suggesting that the pre-adulthood brain is not fully developed, which translates into a situation where children cannot be trusted to make decisions and judgments in similar capacities as adults (Snead, 2007). In this case, the influence of advertising on young people is significantly different from that of adults. Whereas an adult can be trusted not to undergo behavior change based on an advertisement, the same cannot be said of children. Examples in which the heightened influence of advertisement on children is visible are discernible. First, advertising alcohol to young people has been shown to bear a number of negative consequences. These include a significant link between exposure to alcohol advertising and onset of drinking among previously non-drinking young people; increased levels of alcohol consumption among youth drinkers; and lastly, evidence of a dose-relationship among young drinkers (Anderson, 2009). The relationship between advertising and snacking also exemplifies the effects of advertising on young people. Harris, Bergh and Brownell (2009), argue that the prevalence of advertising of calorie-dense and low nutrient meals is significantly linked to obesity. Conditioned reflexes alongside the concept of manipulation of human behavior are at work in this case. Young people are more susceptible to these two and thus will most likely snack on available foods when they watch such advertisements. Another aspect from which advertisements bears capacity to influence youth behavior more than adult’s is in the way advertisements are designed. Massey (2006) argues that vigor, immaturity and impetuousness characterize youth; traits which advertisers are well