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Is Child Advertising Inherently Unfair?

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  • David Rowthorn

    (University of Warwick)

Abstract

Child advertising is routinely accused of being inherently unfair. This is normally based on the claim that younger children do not understand advertising’s selling intent, a claim that is well supported by the available evidence. But the argumentation that gets us from this claim to inherent unfairness has been largely ignored. This article addresses this gap in the literature by considering two accounts of fairness as candidates for understanding child advertising: the process-exclusive account and the inclusive account. The article argues for the rejection of the process-exclusive account (where the process is all that matters) on the basis that it ends up condemning acceptable, non-commercial persuasion. The article then examines the candidates for the negative outcome of child advertising that is required for unfairness on the inclusive account. It concludes that the evidence for each being inherent to child advertising is currently insufficient to support the conclusion that child advertising is inherently unfair.

Suggested Citation

  • David Rowthorn, 2019. "Is Child Advertising Inherently Unfair?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 603-615, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:158:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s10551-017-3742-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-017-3742-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Carter, Owen B.J. & Patterson, Lisa J. & Donovan, Robert J. & Ewing, Michael T. & Roberts, Clare M., 2011. "Children's understanding of the selling versus persuasive intent of junk food advertising: Implications for regulation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(6), pages 962-968, March.
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    4. John, Deborah Roedder, 1999. "Consumer Socialization of Children: A Retrospective Look at Twenty-Five Years of Research," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 26(3), pages 183-213, December.
    5. Pechmann, Cornelia & Knight, Susan J, 2002. "An Experimental Investigation of the Joint Effects of Advertising and Peers on Adolescents' Beliefs and Intentions about Cigarette Consumption," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 29(1), pages 5-19, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Julia Rötzmeier-Keuper, 2020. "Consumer Vulnerability: Overview And Synthesis Of The Current State Of Knowledge And Future Service-Related Research Directions," Working Papers Dissertations 65, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.

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