On 19 June, a survey was published by the Kaiser Family Foundation indicating that while American parents feel in control of their children’s exposure to sex and violence in the media, they remain concerned about “inappropriate content” in the media with 69% of parents “very” or “somewhat” concerned about “the excessive level of advertising on television.”

 

The survey was conducted by staff at the Kaiser Family Foundation, in collaboration with the private firm Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI). The survey was conducted from October 2–27, 2006 and surveyed 1,008 parents of children ages 2–17.

 

The main findings include:

- One in three parents (34%) say they are “very” concerned that their children are exposed to too many ads in the TV programming they watch, while 35% say they’re “somewhat” concerned, 18% say they are “not too” concerned and 11% are “not at all” concerned.

- Among parents who are concerned about advertising, ads for toys top the list (18%), followed by video games (17%), clothing (17%), alcohol/beer (11%) and food (10%).

- “Sixty-five percent of parents say they “closely” monitor their children’s media use, while just 18% say they “should do more.”

- About a quarter of parents (23%) say inappropriate media content is one of their “top” concerns as a parent, while another 51% say it’s a “big” concern, but not one of the top concerns.

- Among parents with children age 9 or older who use the Internet at home, four in 10 (41%) say they use parental controls to block access to certain websites. Among those whose children use e-mail, four in 10 (39%) say they read their child’s email or look in their inbox.”

 

Source: Advertising Education Forum

 

WFA Members, through the Responsible Advertising and Children Programme (RAC), will be updated on developments related to this survey. RAC is a firm supporter of MediaSmart, the media literacy program for teachers, schools and children which aims to help children be more aware, and assess intellectually, the various types of media they see and hear on a daily basis. For more information please visit the RAC and MediaSmart websites.