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Original poster

Right, that does it, they have GOT to ban kids' advertising

72 replies

JanH · 06/12/2004 13:48

On You and Yours today (I would do a link but it's not there yet) they had a feature on "pester power" - talked to a small selection of mums shopping at the Gateshead Metro Centre (I think) and then to one who was looking to borrow £1400 for this Christmas from her local Credit Union when it would take her 2 years to pay it off. (CU woman kindly said she could have £700 only.)

They all said, one way or another, "well they see these things on the telly and they want them so I have to get them". They were spending upwards of £600 per child. This is INSANE. If many parents have become unable to say no to their kids then at least if the kids aren't tempted quite as much their bills might be a bit more sensible...no product ads on kids' TV in December would be a start.

I know You and Yours is a bit inclined to do "shock! horror! burnt mouth on hot coffee!" stories but assume they didn't trawl through the place looking for people with bottomless purses.

(Mind you, having said all that - we have friends whose kids are now mid 20s, and when they were small they used to be encouraged to go through the Argos catalogue to write out their wish lists and then got most of what was on them. They are still spoilt rotten today too!)

OP posts:

TwasTheNightBeforeCatbert · 06/12/2004 14:47

The mothers in sweden campaigned and petitioned their government, who actually listened and banned the advertising (as Satine said).

However, I feel all too cynical, that our own government rely so much on corporate funding, that they daren't stop advertising. But I would accept advertising a little more if it wasn't aimed directly at the children, so ridiculously prevelant all the year round (FGS). The most recent argument I heard from a toy manufacturer is that parents NEED the advertising to know what to buy. Yeah right.

We should start a Mumsnet petition, pass it along to the other parenting websites and then go on a MN March with banners and everything to No10!!! I should imagine there are enough skills within this board alone to whip up a publicity frenzy!!!!

COMMON LADIES! WHO'S UP FOR IT!!!!!!

Where could we start?

TwasTheNightBeforeCatbert · 06/12/2004 14:48

Erm - that should read COME ON in a Com'on style, not common ladies!!! Ahem. Cough cough.

Original poster

JanH · 06/12/2004 14:54

ROFL, Catbert!

OP posts:

Caligulights · 06/12/2004 15:05

I can be as common as you like!

Yeah, I NEED to know what to buy. Like my kids NEED overpriced bits of plastic toplay with and my house NEEDS to look like a bloody branch of Toys R Us!

bonymerryxmas · 06/12/2004 15:25

I agree with some of the other comments - you can't blame the advertisers - parents have to take responsibility, I don't think it does children any good to get everything they want - we never did as kids and were certainly none the worse off for it. Dd's xmas list is very small (I've had no input whatsoever) and apart from a new bike (which she does need) the other items are very modest - i.e. a new pencil case and a poncho. Tbh we are not short of money and could afford to buy her most things that she wants but feel that she shouldn't expect to get everything just because she wants it. I think £600 is an appalling amount to spend - even if you don't have to borrow it.

logICICLE · 06/12/2004 15:40

£600 is crazy. According to my spreadsheet, we have spent £45.99 on our 2 year old this Christmas and half of that is books. He has tons of toys (my mum's first grandchild so she goes mad, bless her) but for the last few days, he has been playing with: a plastic washing liquid ball, a chopstick and a plastic waste paper bin. Hours of fun apparently! I think it's far better to encourage imaginative play than buy toys to do the thinking for them.

SueW · 06/12/2004 15:44

I was speaking to a 7yo girl recently who proudly told me her M&D have to pay £200 each to Santa for her pressies and her brother's. So I asked her what she got last Christmas and she couldn't remember. So (ok, I had a bee in my bonnet) I said didn't she think if someone spent £200 on her presents, she should be able to remember what she got?

It really pees me off to see massive amounts of money being spent on children like this. I don't do it for DD and I have words with my mum because she wants to buy too much. Even this weekend I pointed out to her when she came up with yet another idea, that she was spending more that DH and I will on DD.

It complete madness.

cupcakes · 06/12/2004 15:44

I used to have a friend who set aside £200 for presents for her 18 month old ds. He already had evry toy he could possibly want but she was determined to spend all £200 on him because that was what she had designated the money for!

And she truly felt that he needed every toy that was out there - as if she was depriving him and his learning development by not buying every toy going.

cupcakes · 06/12/2004 15:46

'every'

EniDeepMidwinter · 06/12/2004 15:59

I think you can blame the advertisers actually. Ads are more numerous and clever than ever before. My kids enjoy watching them though - but they don't seriously expect me to buy them/Father Christmas to bring them any of it.

I have always said that 'we can't afford it', I have no shame in making my children realise that we don't have an unlimited toy budget. I also explained to dd1 that quite often they advertise the 'worst' toys on television because noone would buy them otherwise

EniDeepMidwinter · 06/12/2004 16:01

oh and btw, I think people that bankrupt themselves to buy their kids £600 worth of toys at Christmas are just stupid! In fact anyone that spends that amount on their children should be ashamed of themselves. So there

Original poster

JanH · 06/12/2004 16:21

\link{http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/\You and Yours page} - the listen again for this is down the page.

OP posts:

DelGirlsRingAreYouListening · 06/12/2004 16:27

I know I may well take my words back in a few years when my one and only is born (and grown up) but I refuse to go overdrawn or have to borrow money for ANYONE at christmas. If I aint got the cash, I or they can't have it, simple. I totally agree that advertising should be limited around this time, well at any time really. I have always been the same and don't intend changing either but am well aware of peer pressure that children are under these days. Guess I will have to deal with it as and when.

snowvary · 06/12/2004 16:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wickedwinterwitch · 06/12/2004 16:34

I've been banging on about this for ages, totally agree with you Janh. Aren't they talking about a ban on ads to kids? Would be great if it happened imo. My ds was taught cynicism in the face of ads a long time ago and says "they're never as good as they look are they, they just want you to buy things"

stitch · 06/12/2004 16:37

its down to the parents to say no.
and people who bankrupt themselves for such a stupid thing really are stupid themselves

Original poster

JanH · 06/12/2004 16:46

They're currently talking about banning food advertising to kids, www, not sure about the rest. I went agoogling (as you do in December, once you're done awassailing) and found \link{http://www.adassoc.org.uk/pressoffice/newsreleases/nr65_pester.html\this report} from a 1999 EU survey comparing parents' views between Sweden (no advertising) and Spain (no restrictions).

The views hardly varied and the pestering level was actually deemed worse by the Swedes (9% v 7%). However from visiting Spain I get the impression children there are in general very family oriented and well behaved, and not particularly interested in brand names, compared with the UK; I bet if they'd done the same comparison between Sweden and the UK the results would have been very different...sigh.

OP posts:

sparklymieow · 06/12/2004 16:59

I have three kids and have spend about £250 for all their presents. I was talking to one of the mums at DD2s preschool, she has 7 kids and has spent over £2000 on presents!!!! thats about £300 EACH

EniDeepMidwinter · 06/12/2004 17:02

I have two girls and have probably spent about £150 on them (thats a generous estimate and includes dd1's birthday too). What with the grandparents presents they will still be getting absolutely tons of stuff.

Personally I like to spend extra money on things like special trips out, the pantomime, lunch in a Christmassy cafe and FOOD at Christmas - we all enjoy those things as much as presents, even the dds I'd say.

sparklymieow · 06/12/2004 17:05

I forgot that I also included DS birthday presents into that sum of £250. I hate having a bday so close to xmas....

Satine · 06/12/2004 18:21

I must admit I have never bought a christmas or birthday present (other than tiny things) for my 2 yr old ds ()as between 4 sets of aunts/uncles, two sets of grandparents and countless adult cousins he gets far too much already. I am trying to get everyone to either buy small things or vouchers but he's the first toddler in the family for 10 years so they all go mad. It's hard because they all love buying him (and now his 6 month old sister) presents but I find it quite obscene, really, to see the piles of stuff he gets. Still, how lucky I am to have this problem, eh. The thought did cross my mind that I could donate some of the toys in a while to a needy cause....

miranda2 · 06/12/2004 18:30

Satine - do what I do, and unwrap them sneakily first to see what they are, then (assuming the people won't be there when they are opened ) siphon off a couple of small and less-attractive things for use as birthday presents over the next year...

MiaouyChristmas · 06/12/2004 18:33

Dh said to our dds (aged 6 and 7), "If it's advertised on tv, I can guarantee you won't be getting it for Christmas!" - then did back this up by saying all the things advertised were too expensive and usually rubbish!

DD1 has certainly picked up on our cynicism re. advertising (particularly for beauty products) - when a hair straightener was advertised recently, she read the lurid claims and said, "Yeah, right!" It has become a bit of a catchphrase in our house!

misdee · 06/12/2004 18:33

if i hear 'mum i want one of those' one mroe time, i'm gonna scream!!!!

i usually leave cbeebies on rather than the other kids channels, as i am fed up with the adverts on them.

athomemum · 06/12/2004 18:37

best solution to adverts is to avoid tv. I am lucky to have a playroom, but refuse to have a tv in it & the kids are only allowed to watch occasionally. They have a few dvds which they also watch occasionally. This has always been the case and so now they rarely ask to watch - means they play with there toys & each other & are very imaginative. Helps that I never (except wimbledon) watch when they are around.

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