These practices raise grave ethical concerns regarding the proper use of psychological expertise and threaten the public's trust in the profession. We further urged APA to launch a campaign to educate the public about the ongoing abuse of psychological knowledge by the child advertising industry. APA has referred the letter to its Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest, which meets in March. They feel guilty about purchasing items, such as junk food or violent video games, that they believe are bad for their kids. Some child advertisers candidly admit that their commercials exploit children and create family conflicts.
Kids are very sensitive to that.
If you tell them to buy something, they are resistant. But if you tell them they'll be a dork if they don't, you've got their attention. Another disturbing trend in child advertising is the targeting of very young children. What Kids Buy and Why offers marketers detailed advice on advertising to 2-year olds. He suggests that commercials include animals or animal characters, feature characters that are round or curvy in shape, and proceed at a slow pace that most adults would find tedious.