( CNN ) -- This Sunday , my family will be among the 110 million people gathered in front of their TVs to watch the Super Bowl , and with ad revenue projected at $ 300 million , we can expect advertisers to be as outrageous as ever , with spots promoting junk food , alcohol and erectile dysfunction drugs and depicting violence , sex and gender stereotypes . This said , TV ads -- even during the Super Bowl -- might be the least of parents ' concerns . Digital media has dramatically changed the advertising landscape , and includes immersive websites , `` advergaming , '' viral marketing , mobile ads , social media marketing and precise behavioral and location targeting . More than ever before , advertising and entertainment are inextricably linked . In many cases , the content is the ad , and this can be particularly confusing for children , who are less able to understand persuasive intent . Common Sense Media just released a research brief -- `` Advertising to Children and Teens : Current Practices '' -- to provide an inventory of advertising practices aimed at kids and teens and calling for research to quantify exposure and examine the effects . The report finds that the integration of advertising and content across so many platforms -- from product placement to online games and Facebook apps -- has made it much more difficult for researchers to measure the exposure and impact of advertising on kids . While traditional advertising and its effects on kids have been well researched , no one knows the impact of these new media platforms . The concern is n't just what products are sold to kids or what messages are sent to them , it 's that new modes of advertising are insidious and particularly troubling for kids and teens , who are less able to differentiate advertising from entertainment and whose sense of self is still developing . What does it mean for a tween or teen girl to receive weight-loss ads , targeted to her based on her age , gender , location , the foods she likes and the topics she searches ? We need to understand the impact of this type of advertising on young people , what it means for their consumption habits , self-esteem , and right to privacy . Kids are also becoming a critical part of the product-selling cycle , without being paid ( or even knowing , in many cases ) . Even Super Bowl advertisers are relying on our kids in large part to spread the word for them . For example , Doritos ' `` Crash the Super Bowl '' ad contest has been seeking votes all over the Web -- including the kids ' game site Addicting Games -- where information can be collected , and where likes , shares and views are the new measure of success . And a young person 's `` liking '' or `` sharing '' of a product may appear in their friends ' newsfeeds as endorsements or testimonials . No longer can you simply hit the mute button or fast-forward through the Viagra ads . Millions of kids will be on phones and tablets while watching the big game and the ads they interact with on these little screens -- that might not even register as ads -- have far greater implications for kids ' healthy development . Media and ad savvy is now an essential skill and it 's imperative we teach our kids to view media critically -- to understand what 's being sold and what methods are used to sell products . And we must call upon the research community to develop new methods to quantify and analyze the effects of advertising on young people , not just to limit what 's negative but to have a better understanding of how to reach kids with positive messages . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James Steyer .
Kids will see Super Bowl ads for junk food and booze , with violence , sex and sexism . Steyer : Digital media ads are insidious : `` advergaming , '' viral and social media marketing . He says kids are a part of the product-selling cycle , without being paid or even knowing . Media and ad savvy is essential , he says . We must teach kids to view media critically .