Consuming Kids. After watching “Consuming Kids,” and hearing the various insights of many industry professionals, it is no doubt in my mind that mass media creates a social reality, and a backwards one. This commercialization of childhood is a lot more than selling just products and services, it’s a society issue which has direct impacts on human development and relationship. This commercialization of childhood involves marketers and advertisers doing everything they can to influence the 52 million kids under 12 that hold a buying power totaling $42 billion dollars a year. The mass media aims and is successful in getting a brand in front of a child’s face 24-7, whether it be through brand licensing, product placement, viral marketing internet, videogames or many other ways.
Frank Reimann 12/3/13 Michigan Education There are many problems with public education in Michigan, but the biggest problem that we are faced with is the impact of social and economic disadvantages on many schools and students. The expectations for kids in the 21st century are set very high, but with poverty levels increasing and school budgets being cut, how are they supposed to keep up with the rest of the world? I believe that a way that the businesses could support schools is by forming a relationship with them. Because after all the businesses are the ones who benefit most from educated people. The higher educated the worker, the more the businesses will benefit.
However, one factor that should be taken into consideration is the millions of dollars in government assistance that parents not receiving child support are forced to rely on. Fear is a very strong motivator, and, knowing they will have consequences to face, could make non-custodial parents much more likely to take care of their responsibilities. In many cases, receiving child support would give these struggling parents the economic boost they need to get on their feet and of public assistance. Child support usually increases a family’s income 17% - 30% which could greatly improve their standard of living. I truly feel this is worth
They also do not have the financial foundation to support their urge to spend money on the products advertised. Children are much more gullible than adults. Sharon Bedor wrote in a 1998 national conference article about her concerns about advertising to such a young age. “There are questions about the ability of children so young to understand advertising and its intent and not be deceived and manipulated by it. Experts say that children do not understand persuasive intent until they are eight or nine years old and that it is unethical to advertise to them before then.
Where do we as a society place the blame for so many children being obese? There are many different theories as to why or how our children have become increasingly “bigger” over the past decade or so. * Television and video games are huge factors in the sedentary lives children lead today. Having over 200 channels and a remote control at their fingertips does not lead to an active lifestyle, nor do infinite life or ammunition on video games. Do we as parents blame ourselves for not limiting these activities or do we place the blame with the people who actually manufacture these television shows and video games?
• It donates huge amount of profits. To date, Target has given over $150 million to schools across the United States through this program. Weaknesses • Target products are more expensive as compared to competitors. • Limited visibility in International Market. • Target Corporation brand awareness is low as compared to Wal-Mart.
Child care programs like KinderCare are great for educating and socializing children and provide a safe, stable environment for parents to leave their children for the day. Unfortunately, many of these programs are too expensive or just unavailable. In fact, according to Runzheimer International, the U.S. national average cost for full-time day care for a 2 year old child on weekdays is $611 a month. Large cities such as Boston and New York are most expensive, with average daycare costs of a little more than $1,000 a month, while smaller cities like San Antonio, TX, and Jackson, MS, have the lowest average prices, around $350-$400 a month. For a parent trying to work full time and go to school while still providing for their family, daycare is just too big of an expense.
Social classes in America are often very overlooked in the eyes of many Americans and people throughout the world. Contrary to what many people believe, the wealth of a child’s parents has much to do with how successful that child is later in life. Wealth in America has a great deal of say in determining a child's future; for example, a child from a wealthy family is able to afford high quality pre-school before mandatory schooling begins. On the other end, a child coming from a poor family, that is not able to afford this extra schooling, will already be at a disadvantage when compared to that of a wealthy family. In an article by the New York Times titled, “A Great Nation If You’re Born Rich” author Miles Clark talks as if he were to come from poor parents in America and says: “If my parents lived in the U.S I would have a 1 in 5 chance of being stuck in the bottom 10% of the earnings distribution”(Clark).
Video games primarily serve as a source of entertainment and although they have been quite influential on our generation, video games have had a lot of negative effects on the children of today. Since the start of Atari in 1972, the video game industry has expanded into a 10.3 billion dollar a year market and will only continue to expand with the growth of technology. And although these games provide much entertainment, it does not come without a cost. This pastime can become an addiction, carrying with it, many negative effects. Aside from the extreme amount of time wasted, video games teach players questionable life lessons.
Kids still need to be limited on how often they are using the technology. Exposure to technology isn’t all bad, yet there are numerous negative effects of technology on children. Many parents face the complex decision of the right age of having a cellphone. With advertisements of cellphones showing their main characters as teenagers and preteens, the peer pressure on our kids today is overwhelming. Most teens have their first cellphone by freshmen year of high school, which seems acceptable.