Please sign the petition to STOP debt ads on Children's TV

[MarsLady]

petition here!

Glad someone has started this cos it's ridiculous having these ads in the middle of children's programmes!

Remind me how old your child is, HappyDaddy?

JanH I have one of 13 months and one of 8 years (lives with her mum).

Hausfrau, that wasn't aimed at you specifically sorry. More an objection to the complaints about so called "pester power".

HD, I have no problem saying no to my child. I am fortunate enough to be an educated person who has definite ideas about what my child should eat and be exposed to. The pester power form of marketing is not aimed at me but I choose to avoid it for as long as possible.

I would prefer these ads get shown on children's TV where the viewers have no chance of taking one of these ridiculous loans out than have them shown on adult TV where they suck in vulnerable people by showing people who've taken the loan going out shopping and taking exotic holidays etc.

They're no more a bad influence than any of the other adverts shown to children. IMO.

Easy started a thread on this yesterday (yes there are two!) and I posted and said she'd beat me to it - I was going to link to this campaign too.

It's not about being unable to say no to your child. It's about advertising specifically placed in daytime childrens' television aimed at extremely vulnerable people: those who are on low incomes and/or in debt. It subtly and insidiously seeps into childrens' consciousness that it doesn't matter if you can't afford something (and we're not talking essentials here: we're talking holidays, cars and home improvements) you can still have it. These loans are pushed as a solution to all your problems. And yes, the small print at the bottom of the screen tells you about the crippling interest rates, and tells you your home is at risk if you default on the payments but some adults can't grasp those implications - what hope do children have?

And of course you say no to your child, and of course you don't take financial advice from your child, and maybe you're even the sort of parent who uses an advertisement like this to instigate a useful life lesson abut the perils of debt. I doubt that's typical - most parents (me included) park their kids in front of childrens' TV while they get on with something else. I know the ideal is that I sit and watch with them and interact with their viewing - but I don't.

This is not a short-term problem, it's not as simple as saying 'no' to your child now. This is a way of influencing childrens' thinking in the long-term. It instils the idea that if they want something they can have it now - making the idea of saving up or doing without alien to them.

I think all these dodgy loan companies should be banned from advertising full stop. That isn't going to happen - but at least they could be banned from advertising in the middle of a programme specifically aimed at children.

I'm not in favour of a Nanny State - and I'm perfectly capable of saying no to my children. I'm reasonably well educated and not in a position financially where I would ever be tempted to take out a loan of this nature - I can explain to my children why these loans are to be avoided. But this isn't about my children - it's about protecting all children.

Right, going to get off my soap box now before you all get cricks in your necks.

Children's, sorry - not childrens'

We have been living without Sky (in fact without TV full stop) for a few weeks now and the best thing about it has been the absence of advertising in our house. My children dont particularly 'pester' but I have always found the loan ads really depressing (esp on kids telly) for the reasons explained in the campaign. I don't like loans in general (apart from mortage obv) and hate the way that not only are children bombarded with toy ads, they are then shown a way to get round the minor problem of parents not being able to afford them.

have signed.

I hate ads on pre-schoolers TV - more ambivalent on older children's telly. Not because I'm not capable of saying no, but as others have said of the message it gives. Also at this age, children CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE between a proper programme and an advert.

I do realise that ads to fund these channels are a necessary evil, but I do wish there were stricter regulations on what ads could be shown - or even if the channels themselves were more sensible. We swore off Nick Jr for a long time because there was a spate of completely inappropriate ads aimed at kids of 8 or 9 years old that terrified my 3 year old. Their targetted audience is pre-schoolers... WHY do they have aggressive, scary ads for toys aimed at 8 & 9 year olds?! Let alone the ads aimed at parents...

Marthamoo You said it better than I could have, but exactly what I was thinking.

I too have absolutely no problem saying no to my kids. I wouldn't have any ads on the children's channels etc.

"It's about advertising specifically placed in daytime childrens' television aimed at extremely vulnerable people: those who are on low incomes and/or in debt."

You obviously don't watch enough TV - those ad's are on at all times of the day and night.....

"but some adults can't grasp those implications - what hope do children have? "

ermm - children don't take out the loans...

"and maybe you're even the sort of parent who uses an advertisement like this to instigate a useful life lesson abut the perils of debt. I doubt that's typical - most parents (me included) park their kids in front of childrens' TV while they get on with something else."

True - but we do talk when I'm not busy and he tells me what he saw on the TV and we talk about it then

"This is a way of influencing childrens' thinking in the long-term. "

Lets switch off ALL the TV's, stop letting them watch movies, and keep them locked indoors shall we??? there's a LOT of things (some of which have FAR more 'influence' (IMO) on our children than a some random adverts on the TV.

"I think all these dodgy loan companies should be banned from advertising full stop."

Not that dodgy - if you've ever tried (as a last ditch effort for you business startup in our case) to get 'finance' from them - in actual fact while they 'make' it sound easy (but then so do some of the 'highstreet lenders') lots of people get turned down and it's NOT as simple as "a few quick questions".......so really they lie like most (not all - we were honest in our radio ad ) other advertising......or at least 'bend the truth'.

well all of you that hate the ad - why not watch Cbeebies???

ps - I'm in an 'awkward' (but nice ) mood today so just ignore me if I'm being (my usual) pain in the ar*e

"and the best thing about it has been the absence of advertising in our house"

What no flyers through the letter box, free papers, junk mail, no listening to the radio either???? They haven't see the big 'billboard' adverts when out and about, or the ads on the side of the bus stops??

My DS1 can't read yet - but he asks me what they say - and I'm hardly going to lie to him when he's desperately trying to learn 'words'!!

I HAVE SIGNED THE PETITION.

QOQ - GET REAL.

jessica - I am 'getting real'........

I HONESTLY believe there are much more important things to petition against with regards to our children.

Great post, marthamoo; I feel exactly the same. It's CBeebies only in our house, exactly because advertising does work on children, whatever the advertising is for. It's true that the child can't take out a loan now, but the message is being drummed in loud and clear that loans are the way to get everything you want, regardless of whether you can afford it or not.

Good call WWB - totally agree.

I agree with WWB.
I signed the petition, cos I can remember bagering my parents to get loans when I was little and they told us they didn't have any money! As a child it just seemed like free money to be had.

Kelly - so pleased there are people that UNDERSTAND why these ad's are a bad idea... i too thought money was free - its amazing what you learn as you grow up!

I am with QueenofQuotes on this one - there are far more important things to petition about when it comes to our kids... this is about more delegation of parental responsibility than about protecting our kids... don't let them watch the TV if you don't like the message what I find bizarre here is I bet most of you allow your kids to watch cartoons that show albeit comic violence in abundance and don;t have an issue with that but then get cross when your kids are exposed to a loan advert...

so cutting out adverts is going to stop your kids' request for stuff -- GET REAL!

er it does actually mancmum and I am living proof

absolutely NO requests for any plastic crap since we have not had telly.

why do you think advertisers pay hundreds of thousands of pounds if, as you seem to imply, advertising doesn't work?

of course advertsing works never said it did not but banning it won't stop your kids asking for things that you need the loans for influence is everywhere friends, school, cinema, films, food... what I am am saying is that partial censorship is not the answer and talking to your kids is...

hmmmmmmmmmm... as I started this whole thing, I'd better add in a quick thought.

It's not about pester power to me. I've said before that I am very happy to say NO to my kids. And in response to something said earlier, my children don't watch cartoon channels. I've always thought that they were more violent, but packaged just a little prettier (with some exceptions I can tell you!). However, when people say that there are more important things to campaign against I think I'm gonna have to beg to differ.

I believe firmly in prevention rather than cure. If we don't look out for the little things how on earth do we expect the big things to stop. If we live in a culture where it's get what you want now cos you can... why do we think that the mugging, the violence, the ME ME ME ME ME won't happen?

I do believe in campaigning for things to make children's lives better, adults also. We need to learn a little responsibility. Why should our kids be bombarded with loan ads? They are kids. Let them be little for the little while they can. As I said, I'd personally ban all ads during kids tv.

What saddens me though is the fact that people feel it necessary to have a go at others who want to campaign against it. Fair enough you don't have to, but is it necessary to have a go at those that want to? As has been said, but in a different context, if you don't want to do it, then don't!

I'm sure the argument will rage back and forth and as this is an open forum (where we all need to apologise all the time) I can't stop you doing whatever it is that you feel. But (here I go again) if you don't want to sign, then don't! If you do, then please do! After all, it's only gonna take a quick minute to sign.

maybe not as quick a thought as I thought lol