Did you know that children are actually the biggest target audience when it comes to ads and brands? It’s because children are the biggest influencers when it comes to buying decisions in the household. That is why you see an array of child advertisements whenever you switch on your TV.

Ads are designed to be influential and for toddlers that do understand a lot about how the world works, they can have a lasting effect on their brains. Let’s look in detail, at the relationship between children and advertisements and how children are influenced by ads:

Negative Influence of Child Advertisement

• Ads persuade children to force their parents to buy things. What if the said product being advertised in the child advertisement is to the child’s liking? It will be an issue for the parent to convince a stubborn child.
• Children can misinterpret the messaging in the advertisement and adopt the negative values rather than the positive ones. 
• Children can be negatively influenced to imitate stunts shown in some ads and get seriously injured.
• Children can fall prey to the tactics of child advertisements that encourage recurring buying. This can lead to them developing impulsive buying behavior.
• Children can get used to false images and a sense of utopia as they witness unrealistic settings and concepts in ads.
• Children can fall prey to the idea of owning expensive things to lead the best possible life. Simply put, they can influence your children to be more materialistic when it comes to life.
• Children can start feeling inferior for not owning things shown in the ads as compared to other kids they know.

In a nutshell, children and advertisements are not a good mix. But, today’s digital world and the fact that your children are exposed to this kind of media all the time. So, what can you do as a parent?

Tips for Parents to Manage The Relationship Between Children & Advertisements

These are some useful tips that will help you curb the influence of child advertisements on your kids.

1. Limit screen time. Let your children know that screen time is a privilege and not a norm. Set a limit like an hour of supervised screen time each day so you can keep an eye on what content they are consuming.
2. Make sure your children use the internet for learning. Encourage them to surf websites that are safe and educational and use their time for learning something fun and exciting.
3. Explain the difference between “needs” and “wants”. Encourage them to express it when they have a need rather than want.
4. You should know what is Netguard and how it works. Netguard blocks and protects you and your child from unnecessary and annoying advertising. VeePN VPN, for example, consistently provides this feature to its users. Ad protection will not only be useful for your children, but it will also provide inflated cybersecurity.
5. Download programs or cartoons so children are not exposed to run-time ads on the internet or on your TV.
6. If you do find your children are watching a child advertisement that is showing something unacceptable. Let them know that the concept isn’t real or what’s flawed in it while they are watching it.

These are some small ways in which you can shield your child from the negatives of child advertisements. As a parent, it is your responsibility to supervise their screen time and help them have a real idea about the world and the life ahead.