There are advertisements directed at children. Parents argue that children are misled, while advertisers consider advertising a source of useful information. What is your opinion?

Nowadays, with the development of television media and the Internet, advertisement has been a subject that attracts attention of the public. While parents hold the view that advertisements brings some negative effects on children, advertisers argue that children are gaining knowledge with the help of the provided information. This essay aims to discuss both viewpoints and presents the writer's opinion.

On the one hand, the increased number of advertisements brings some benefits to customers, especially children. First, by watching advertisements on TV or on the Internet, parents is provided with some necessary information about function, ingredients, location and distributing store. This can help them not only enrich their choices but also avoid inferior products which may cause a number of harmful effects on their children. Moreover, thanks to advertising, a growing number of of high-quality products from overseas is introduced to parents. Therefore, they are more likely to find the best product for their children without worrying about quality or price. Besides, many companies are trying to produce and advertise innovative toys for children which can boost children's creativity and promote young minds to actively explore science as well as social issues. For example, Lego is a toy with colorful building sets and bricks which make youngsters to build architectures on their own and motivate them to bring out their talents.

On the other hand, advertising causes a lot of negative impacts on children. The first drawback is that advertisements may lead to children's spontaneous purchases. Indeed, advertisers often make exaggerated claims of their products and send persuasive messages to their viewers in order to induce their purchasers while children and teenagers are much more price-immune than adults and easy to be attracted by colorful posters and misleading information on advertisements. As a result, they end up buying items of inferior quality which are painfully non-refundable. This also can upset the budget of their families. In addition, advertising may promote an unhealthy way of life. For instance, the advertisements of fast food and energy drink are often advertised to bring more excitement to life and greatly enhance concentration. However, the contain an excessive amount of fat, sugar, additives and preservatives which can increase vulnerability of health problems, namely: obesities, diabetes and cardio vascular.

In conclusion, advertising has double-edge impacts on children. In spite of the fact that it brings some beneficial information to children and their parents, they are outweighed by the drawbacks caused by advertisements. That is the reason why the government should regulate the advertisements before they are directed at young people who can not analyze which is good and which is bad in order to minimize negative effects on them.