The untold story of youth VS. advertisement madness
Several European countries forbid or severely put a stop to advertising to children. In the United States, on the other hand, selling to children is simply “business as usual.” The average young person views more than 3000 ads per day on television, on the Internet or even on social media. Increasingly, advertisers are targeting younger and younger children to establish “brand-name preference” at as early an age.Advertisements targeting children and teenagers often exploit their naivety and lack of critical thinking skills, potentially influencing them to adopt unhealthy habits or make poor choices. But to be clear which happenings in social media really do affect teenagers?
To begin with, social media platforms often feature images of people with seemingly perfect faces and bodies, often using filters and photo editing tools to enhance their appearance. This can create unrealistic beauty standards, leading to body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem in youngsters. To prove the precedent, studies show that 88% and 65% of teen girls and boys correspondingly compare themselves to images they observe on social media, with over half of them emphasizing that the comparison is unfavorable.
Advertising relentlessly promotes the idea that happiness and fulfillment can be achieved through the encouragement of products. This continuous bombardment can cause materialistic tendencies among young people, encourage a culture of excessive consumption and create a sense of dissatisfaction with what they have.
In conclusion, advertisements in social media could be described as the Trojan horse. At first sight they might seem appealing and not so harmful, but their content hides multiple dangers. So, I certainly believe that we should all raise awareness of the subject of advertising and its impact on young people, thus protecting them from potential adverse effects.
Politis George. A4
