Advertising effects on childrens body image

"TV watching is a major activity for Australian children and adolescents. If a child watches the average of two and a half hours per day (the average for an Australian child) and if this is mainly commercial TV he or she will see around 75 advertisements in a day, or around 22,000 per year. This topic covers:

what does advertising do
what are the particular problems for children and young people
what can parents do.
What does advertising do
Advertising often works by making us feel unhappy with our lives, anxious and dissatisfied. The messages are that you are not OK unless you buy this, wear that brand, wash your hair with, and look like that very slim model. It attacks our self esteem.

What are the particular problems for children and young people
girls in early adolescence are particularly vulnerable to messages about being OK as they are sensitive about their body image and whether they measure up to the peer group
recent research indicates that there is a marked link between TV watching, and negative body and eating disorders. (Becker, A, 2002)
two studies at South Australia’s Flinders University have shown that television advertising featuring idealised thinness negatively affected both the mood and the body image of adolescent girls, with those in the 13 - 15 year age group being more affected. (Hargreaves, D, 2002)."