Children's ads must be debated, says Hodge

At a recent Children's Radio and Television conference, organised by pressure group the Voice of the Listener and Viewer, the government minister for children urged focussed debate in the United Kingdom about the issue of advertising to children. This issue, according to Margaret Hodge, goes beyond food advertising and its health-related implications. She pointed to the pre-Christmas intensification of advertising to children, arguing that this leads to peer pressure and bullying. Television, she says, often portrays teenagers as antisocial and irresponsible.

However, she recognised that the young audience is a large money-earner. Steven Andrew, the controller of CITV, said children's programming attracts advertising of about £30m - roughly the amount spent on the genre. He added "There has never been more advertising-free television, with CBBC and CBeebies....Yes, have the debate but be aware of what would happen. If we have our revenue taken away that cultural identity [British-made ITV children's programmes] will be eroded."

Click here for the full article on the Guardian site.

Source

Article forwarded to the Young People's Media Network on November 6 2003 (click here for the archives).