Children and advertising. The moral issues when children are seen as consumers

Ethics is not a substantial subject restricted to the area of philosophical debates. The ethical process related to advertising begins when individuals and groups believe that advertising is harmful. Such beliefs may prove valid, depending on the target audience of the marketers and the intentions of the advertisers. One area of concern which has recently generated major consideration arises from children being the focus of marketing and advertising. Concerns about children‟s ability to fully understand advertising messages, as well as the discourse of consumer sovereignty, has by now permeated and motivated extensive research and has prompted authors in various countries to explore the contextual factors and issues associated with advertising to children