Childhood and violence in advertising. A current perspective

This article considers the subject of childhood and violence contained in the advertising format, focusing especially on television advertising. The article analyses the violent and aggressive content of audiovisual texts looking at childhood from a broader perspective than has been used in research to date, in order to show the wide spectrum of involvement of children in advertising material. This new focus implies looking at the subject of childhood and media violence in televised advertising taking into account the strategic communicative process, in which regard the figure of the child can be studied from three different yet complementary lines of analysis. The first evolves around the child as advertising target, according to the campaign's objective and the intention of the advertiser or issuer of the advertising message. The second line of analysis refers to the use of children as advertising resources, which can provoke effects at a cognitive, affective or even behavioural level. Third and finally, one can refer to children as receptors of advertising, an aspect associated with the behaviour and habits of television and advertising intake by these young viewers. The importance and current relevance of the subject are highlighted in the legislative interventions of national governments as well as transnational institutions (for example the EU) that are related to violence in advertising and childhood.Sin financiaciónNo data (2006)UE