Children and Advertising Policies in the U.S. and Beyond

This chapter examines the public discourse and persistent controversies surrounding advertising directed to children and adolescents. It examines governmental efforts to limit the targeting of young people and curtail the detrimental effects of incidental exposure to marketing messages, particularly to those which promote harmful products such as alcohol and electronic cigarettes. Non-public policy options, including industry self-regulatory activities, and media literacy education programs, are also discussed. Throughout the chapter, the challenges of limiting children's exposure to marketing and advertising in ever-evolving digital spaces such as YouTube and keeping track of novel persuasion techniques such as the use of “Kidfluencers” are discussed.