The Social Welfare of Advertising to Children

Authors

Dennis D. Crouch, University of Missouri School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2002

Abstract

The aim of this Comment is to approach the issue of advertising to children through an examination of economic incentives and efficiency. The Comment ultimately makes the claim that televised advertisement of products, such as junk food, directed toward children may be inefficient and tend to decrease social welfare. Although they may be compelling, this paper does not rely on the secondary negative externalities often associated with television, such as the cost of treating diabetes and heart disease. Rather, the inefficiency discussed in the Comment involves the informational qualities of advertising. Advertising directed towards young children can be thought of as providing false or misleading information because these children are unable to understand the purpose or underlying context of the advertisement. Although this type of misleading advertisement usually happens unintentionally, the trusting naivety of children gives advertisers an incentive to attempt such misinformation.

Recommended Citation

Dennis D. Crouch, The Social Welfare of Advertising to Children, 9 University of Chicago Law School Roundtable 179 (2002).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/facpubs/771