When Cracker Jack decided to replace its “prize” with a QR code, it felt ominous. Instead of finding a tiny baseball card, or in more recent years, a less-cool temporary tattoo, kids are now directed to a mobile game, which lets them share a baseball-themed picture of themselves with the Cracker Jack logo with their friends on social media. R.I.P, all that is pure. Will it ever be possible to shield kids from being tracked, analyzed and bombarded with advertising—and used as advertising—if we can’t do so with a classic snack?
Advertising to children is nothing new, of course. (I still hum the “I am stuck on Band-Aid” jingle every now and then.) But it’s become dicier in the digital world as it surfaces under the guise of mobile games and “influencer” content, and the internet does not have the same FCC-enforced rules for separating commercial and program content that TV network and cable channels do. Now, you’ll see Pokémon GO leading kids to Starbucks. You’ll see popular teen vlogger Baby Ariel sampling Jelly Belly-brand jelly beans with her family. My four-year-old learned how to click “Skip Ad” before she learned how to count to 20, but ads aren’t just in official commercials—they’re everywhere.
So what does this mean? As parents, do we have any choice as to how much advertising our kids are exposed to? We do.
What’s the Big Deal, Anyway?
But companies aren’t going to wait until kids get it.
Are Subscription-Based Services the Answer?
Also, the fees for all these subscriptions add up quickly. Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, HBO Now (where kids can stream every single episode of Sesame Street), and now whatever Disney plans to launch—it’s a lot. But the payoff is some peace of mind.
As parents, we should be teaching kids the difference between a program and a commercial so they can start thinking critically on their own. Common Sense Media offers some helpful conversation-starters. Sit with your child and visit a website together, Crayola perhaps, and talk about how the images, videos and games make products look like something kids would want to buy. During TV commercials, stop and ask your children, “What is this selling?” If your children are older, you can give them an allowance to purchase apps—with limited funds, they’ll have to really consider the value.
Apps like Kidoz, available on Android, put smartphones into a kid-friendly mode that prevents them from seeing irrelevant ads. Adguard AdBlocker blocks ads on Chrome. You can also curate playlists of approved shows.
Then, of course, there is this big idea: reduce screen time. Here are some ways to make screen time rules that work for your family. (This process includes looking at your own media use.) There is all sorts of research showing that kids need more non-digital playtime.
And keep talking. Keep talking to other parents about how they manage ads. Keep talking to your kid’s school administrators about how they collect data and where that data goes. Keep talking to your legislators. And keep talking to your kids about what the world is trying to sell them.