Friday, April 18, 2014

Brazil Bans Advertising To Kids Under 12. Should the US follow their lead?


Earlier this month The Brazilian Ministry of Human Rights banned advertising to children under 12 and imposed restrictions on campaigns aimed at 12 - 18 year olds.

Not surprisingly, the narrow list of exceptions includes educating children about good nutrition, safety, education, and health. (Jaffe, 2014)

So what do you think?  Is this a good idea?  Should the U.S. do the same?

Jaffe, J. (2014, April 15)  The End Of Advertising.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 17, 2014, from

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Brazilian Ministry of Human Rights banning advertising to children under 12 and imposing restrictions campaigns to 12-18 years old is a bold move. I think it's a good idea because children 12 and under don't have the fortitude to make a sound decisions. I agree with Congressman Hauly that advertising to children under 12 is a form of abuse because it is deemed as a coercion therefore victimizing our children. Advertising aimed to children under 12 compels them to buy products that are unnecessary and may be even harmful. If the campaigns don't promote educating children about good nutrition, safety, health and education then I also believe advertising should be banned.


I do feel the U.S. should follow suit, although it might be more complicated here because we are protected by freedom of speech. Unless proven harmful and deceitful to children the government cannot stop marketers to advertise aimed to children. But I do feel strongly that the FTC should tighten the restrictions on advertising to children under 12 as well as those ages 12-18.
G