Children and Parents' Interest in TV Advertisements: Elucidating the Persuasive Intent of Advertisements

Abstract

Parents' control over the amount and type of TV programs viewed by their children is a direct form of mediation. The presence of a parent as a viewing partner provides further opportunity for mediation of a program and advertising content. Parents and children may exchange comments and views regarding content showed in advertisements - children may ask questions which the parents' would answer, and issuing of instructions may take place. The present study aims to measure the extent to which the parents' interest and their co-viewing results in them teaching their children about what is real and what is artificially created in TV advertisements, which would aid them (the children) in imbibing healthy consumer values. An attempt has also been made to identify the relationship between parents' restricting children's TV-viewing with parents' level of co-viewing, educational and financial status, and the age and sex of the children in the urban and rural areas of Madhya Pradesh.