75% back kids' TV show ad ban
Parents worry children will become 'cynical consumers'
A survey by BT Vision has found 75 per cent of parents want ads banned from children's TV shows in order to protect them from pushy brands forcing products on them.
Admittedly, the company is publishing such research to 'back up' its decision to keep ads away from its kids TV shows.
But we love the fact that of the 75 per cent of parents in favour of a ban, just under half also dislike the ads because they lead to pestering.
Around 58 per cent of parents also admitted they had been pestered so severely they had been pressured into buying the thing their kids saw on TV... although surely that says more about the weak-willed nature of the adults being unable to just say 'no' to the latest request for Barbies, or whatever it is kids want these days.
Heartbreak
In fact, the heartbreak at TechRadar was compounded when it was revealed that over half of Britain's children spent up to six hours a day watching TV over the summer holidays, literally wasting their childhood when they could be outside playing on bikes or fishing in nearby streams.
Child psychologist Dr Pat Spungin said of the survey: "Children are impressionable and hence susceptible to advertising; I think the TV companies should take a responsible approach to advertising during programmes that are popular with children.
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"On their part, parents who talk to their children about advertising can help them become more 'media savvy'."
Which is what we all dream of for our offspring at some point or another...
Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grew with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.