Day 054 - 24 Nov 94 - Page 52

     
     1        she was asking why it failed and I said "I can see"
     2        assuming what you have written there is accurate.
     3        Ms. Steel is asking why the FTC proposed to introduce the
     4        ban.
     5
     6   MS. STEEL:  Actually I was not; you were right.
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I was right.  I can see the answer to the
     9        question I thought you were asking.
    10
    11   MS. STEEL:  I just thought it might be easier to have it on the
    12        record, rather than having it look it up, that is all.
    13
    14   MR. MORRIS:  What do you want to say?
    15
    16   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  The US advertising industry fiercely opposed
    17        the proposals and even carried the fight to Washington in
    18        the courts before the proposal was dropped by the FTC?
    19        A.  Yes, they found that even though they wished to
    20        introduce them hat they were effectively prevented by other
         legal measures that were taken.
    22
    23   MS. STEEL:   Were you going on to say why they wanted to bring
    24        them in?
    25        A.  Yes.  Part of the reason they wanted to bring it in was
    26        on the basis that young children were not fully able to
    27        comprehend advertising messages and, therefore, it was
    28        unfair for them to be the target of such advertising
    29        messages.  So, I think there are two issues here.  There is
    30        one as to whether it is acceptable to advertise to
    31        children.  It has been deemed in this country that
    32        regardless of children's ability to understand advertising,
    33        it is acceptable to advertise to them.  The separate issue
    34        is the influence that that advertising may have.  You made
    35        the point just now and I would agree with that, that
    36        understanding is no defence against influence.
    37
    38   Q.   So there are concerns about advertising, the influence of
    39        advertising in general, but particular concerns when young
    40        children do not realise at all what the purpose is of the
         advertisements?
    42        A.  Yes, but that it is of a different nature that concern;
    43        it is not whether it is more or less influential.
    44
    45   Q.   Was there anything further that you wanted to say in
    46        relation to children's understanding of advertising?
    47        A.  Just one further point that links in with children's
    48        development of what they think about advertising.  It is
    49        often said that once children reach the age of about 7 or 8
    50        they become more sceptical towards advertising; they are 
    51        not so positive; they express more negative feelings 
    52        towards it.  This is often interpreted as meaning that, 
    53        therefore, its influence is likely to be less but, in fact,
    54        there is no real evidence to support that; that children
    55        may say, like a lot of adults do, that they do not like
    56        advertising, that of course it does not affect them, but in
    57        fact its influence will be just as great because there is a
    58        difference between what we think we often do and what we do
    59        in reality.
    60