South-East European Research Centre (SEERC)

Advertising to children, in whatever media form, is a contentious topic in the UK, fuelled by debates around rising levels of obesity and related illnesses. Currently, legislation is being introduced which restricts advertising to children on television, and several brands have publicly announced that they no longer target young children. What children understand by advertising and when they appreciate persuasive intent is the focus of this presentation, based on extensive empirical research conducted over the last few years with colleagues from psychology and journalism. Our results will be discussed in terms of policy implications.