Volume 31, No.
Some psychologists cry foul as peers help advertisers target young consumers.
For Kanner, one explanation for that shift can be found in advertising. Thanks to advertising, he says, children have become convinced that they're inferior if they don't have an endless array of new products. In response, at its June meeting, APA's Board of Directors acted on a recommendation from the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest and approved the creation of a task force to study the issue. The task force will examine the research on advertising's impact on children and their families and develop a research agenda. The group will look at the role psychologists play in what some consider the exploitation of children and consider how psychology can help minimize advertising's harmful effects and maximize its positive effects.