These firms are more than willing to take full advantage of our children's vulnerabilities in order to maximize profits. And the competition is intense. Advertisers think nothing of stirring up our children's antisocial urges. They do not hesitate to use shocking and base humor to grab our children's attention. As kids get to the tween and teen ages and the desire for independence and rebellion raises its head, cool can become those things that are too edgy, too rebellious by many parents' standards.
Schools are especially favored targets.
They are gaining access to classrooms with a range of advertiser-supported materials. Every day, Channel One delivers 10 minutes of news and two minutes of ads to approximately 12,000 schools and 8 million students. That level of comfort, especially with children, is important in getting honest, open communication. Advertisers and marketers are relying to an unprecedented degree on the potent tools of psychology to probe our children's minds and emotions to exploit them. The result is an enormous advertising and marketing onslaught that comprises, arguably, the largest single psychological project ever undertaken.