Ron Warren

Food and Beverage Advertising on U.S. Television: A Comparison of Child-Targeted Versus General Audience Commercials

Major advertisers and childrens television networks have announced marketing policies designed to combat childhood obesity. A content analysis of food advertising was conducted on programming from broadcast and cable networks most likely to be viewed by children. Unlike previous content analyses, the results show that nutrition appeals are among the most frequently used. However, as in past research, unhealthy foods are most frequently advertised. Further, child-targeted commercials employ production techniques and persuasive appeals that children have found difficult to evaluate critically. The potential impacts of this advertising landscape are discussed on both the individual and social level.

Dual-Modality Disclaimers, Emotional Appeals, and Production Techniques in Food Advertising Airing During Programs Rated for Children

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) directed advertisers to present disclaimers in the dual-modality format more easily understood by children. A content analysis of the emotional appeals, production techniques, and types of disclaimers appearing in over 3,800 food television advertisements was conducted. Ads appearing in child-rated programs present significantly more of the emotional appeals and production techniques that research suggests capture the attention of younger children. Most disclaimers in child-rated programs were not dual modality. Future research should examine whether food advertising presents a potentially distracting mix of production techniques and emotional appeals that may divert childrens attention from disclaimers.

Food and Beverage Advertising to Children on US. Television: Did National Food Advertisers Respond?

In 2005, after criticism of the U.S. food industry for advertisings role in childhood obesity, national advertisers announced new policies to reduce childrens exposure to ads for unhealthy foods. However, limits on these policies suggested that the food advertisements viewed by children would not change significantly. Content analysis was conducted on television food advertisements aired just before and one year after these announcements. The advertisements were coded for product type, persuasive appeals, and production techniques. The results suggest few changes in food advertising seen by children.

Preaching to the Choir? Parents' Use of TV Ratings to Mediate Children's Viewing

In 1997, a system of TV ratings was instituted to label objectionable television content for parents. This study gathered ratings use data from 439 parents of preschool and school-age children. Bronfenbrenners ecological theory of development is used to interpret the results. Parents most likely to use TV ratings are those who already mediate viewing, a finding with important implications for redefining televisions place in Bronfenbrenners theory, particularly its role as a microsystem setting and mediations place as a mesosystem factor in child development.

Parental mediation of children's Internet use: The influence of established media

While ownership and use of computers is increasing in American homes, concerns over the effects of Internet content on children are high. Literature on parents’ mediation of Internet content is in its early stages, as is parents’ understanding of the medium. This study compares television mediation practices to Internet mediation practices among parents who own both media. The findings indicate that, while mediation is not universal, parents may be applying their TV mediation practices to childrens web surfing. The implications of this for mediation and public policy are discussed.

Multi-platform mediation: U.S. mothers’ and fathers’ mediation of teens’ media use

Abstract This study attempts to solidify a predictive model of parental mediation across four media platforms (television, video games, internet, and cellphones). The analysis compares U.S. mothers’ and fathers’ mediation, specifically within the larger context of parenting behaviors and media attitudes. Results indicate that there are only a few, small gender differences in parental mediation. Across media, parental mediation was largely predicted by the child’s age, parents’ attitudes about media effects, and levels of parent–child involvement and communication. More involved parents were more frequent mediators for television, video games, and the Internet. Parents who reported frequent talks with children more frequently mediated all four media. The results are discussed within the context of research on parenting.

GROUP BEHAVIOR IN TELEVISION SITCOMS

Children’s abilities to work cooperatively in groups are an important but overlooked area of communication research despite evidence that individuals are expected to work cooperatively with others as children, and later as adults. For example, cooperative learning as a pedagogical strategy has received increasing emphasis in recent years requiring that children should be able to communicate and work together in educational settings. Second, a productive society depends on the ability to work with and through groups. But there is evidence that we are failing to provide a safe social network in which children can learn cooperative behaviors (Goleman, 1995). Third, US employers consistently report valuing employees who can work well in groups (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2003). Without mastering these skills, adolescents are more likely to be disconnected from their social networks, have more difficulty in school, and find the transition to adulthood responsibilities more difficult (Parker, Rubin, Price, & DeRosier, 1995). Social cooperation skills (face-to-face reciprocal interaction resulting in positive outcomes for a group) are more often informally modeled rather than formally taught. A common assumption is that children learn cooperative skills at school, yet these skills are rarely emphasized in standard educational curricula, and teachers often report problems implementing cooperative learning techniques (Terwel, Gillies, van den Eeden, & Hoek, 2001). Extracurricular activities are also a potential source of cooperative models. However, these groups are often adult-led, with the adult leader making decisions for the group and resolving conflict among group members. Families are another source of cooperative models, but families are also adult-led, limiting children’s experience in initiating cooperative behavior to reach family goals. Children’s use of television also serves as a source of informal modeling for social cooperation skills. Because the medium is primarily a source of entertainment, children are not likely to realize that they are learning from its programs, too. Nearly all types of television programming revolve around a group of characters displaying and interacting in relationships to accomplish some type of goal or support the tasks of one character (e.g. Charlie and Alan of Two and a Half Men work toward the goal of creating a family unit for Jake). Thus, television programming dramatizes both relational and task talk in groups. This study examines media depictions of social cooperation, a set of skills that has received heightened attention as both a means of formal learning (called ‘‘cooperative learning;’’ see Slavin, 1996) and a set of skills important to children’s ability to establish healthy peer relationships (see Parker et al., 1995; Parker & Seal, 1996). Using social cognitive theory (Bandura, 2002) as the foundation, an analysis of situation comedy characters is conducted to explore one potential model of cooperative behavior.

“Someday you’ll have children just like you”: what tomorrow’s parents can teach us about parental mediation research

Abstract This commentary considers adolescents’ media habits and the ways they can guide future research on parental mediation. Three lessons from “tomorrow’s parents” are applied: (1) teens are accustomed to on-demand media, (2) teens are used to multitasking with multiple screens, and (3) teens have come to expect media targeted specifically to them. From these lessons, researchers should consider focusing their work on parenting strategies that are responsive to individual differences among children, easily accessible during media use, and rigorously tested for effectiveness. The commentary concludes with a call to direct future research in ways that will help future parents’ do a better job of mediating children’s media use.

Modeling Political Consumerism Among Young Consumers An Ecological Systems Approach

Studies of political consumerism among young citizens are a relatively recent development. In this study, the authors use Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of child development as a first attempt to build an explanatory model of teens’ socialization into political consumption behaviors. Structural equation modeling indicates that certain cultural factors (e.g., church attendance, parent education) influence micro-level systems within which children might acquire political consumer behaviors (including parent-child interaction, school activities related to politics, and online media use). Implications are discussed.

What's on the menu? Disclaimers, emotional appeals and production techniques in food advertising on child-rated programs in the united states

This study examined disclaimers, production techniques, and emotional appeals in ads directed toward children. A content analysis of nearly 2,500 food advertisements on 10 broadcast and cable networks was conducted in the United States in 2008. Results revealed that most disclaimers were not presented in dual modality or simultaneously in the ads audio and video content, as recommended by industry and government regulators. In addition, ads in child-rated shows had more emotional appeals and productions techniques that might distract young children from processing disclaimers. Future research should examine whether the potential to distract children from disclaimers exists in food and beverage advertising worldwide.