"Heroes"

I found this ad in National Geographic Kids, a magazine my 8-year-old nephew reads. Despite the fact that by the age of eight, most children are able to distinguish between fantastical and real-life violence, I feel this ad goes overboard by glorifying violence. These two demonic creatures stand head to head, ready to attack one another. Superimposed over the battle scene is the word "Heroes." In the increasingly violent world we live in, we need to provide our children with responsible role models--not rabid robot killers.

As a side note, the rating for this particular game ranges from "Everyone" to "Teen." Its hard to justify its placement in a magazine that targets 8-year-olds.

Kids on Sugar

It's an age old trick. Kids love games. This version of "Where's Waldo" crosses the line by making it seem like these candy snacks are an everyday part of school life. No wonder all these children in the ad are going bonkers; they are loaded up with sugar!

Fruity Fibbing

A lot of kids seeing this ad might think these candies are made of fruit. After all, the fruit pictured here seem to think Mr. Twistable is pretty great. Let's take a look at the ingredients though. There are four types of sugar listed before any fruit is even mentioned. It would be better if there were bags of sugar swooning instead.

spiderman

Superhero paraphernalia and children's products have always lived hand in hand, well before the days of plastic toys in children's meals. Which makes sense from a marketers point of view--children gravitate toward that which they recognize and idolize. And the purpose of this post isn't to suggest that these tie-ins are inherently bad. It's just important to realize the effect this may have on your children. You may see a superhero toothbrush. And chances are this is the same harmless message your children are taking from this ad. But not necessarily.

Will your child think that if they have this toothbrush they will take on some of the attributes of Spiderman? Will they be disappointed when they brush their teeth and can't scale a building? Sure, this is an extreme example, but I doubt things like this have never happened.

And what are the ethics of using a cartoon to sell something? It may not seem a problem for something that encourages children to brush their teeth. But what about when this is applied to something like fast food? Something with foreseeable potential damage? When is it okay to use these hero types to sell to children and when is it not?

Any ideas?