Super Bowl TV ads involve diverse products, but sports often provide ads geared for an older audience, a U.S. researcher says.
Christy Buchanan of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., says while families often watch the Super Bowl together, during the regular season of professional football 66 percent of children ages 7-11 say they watch pro football on television.
Buchanan says a study by the non-profit group Common Sense Media reviewed some 6,000 commercials in 60 NFL games in a recent NFL season and found:
– 300 of the TV ads were for alcohol.
– 40 percent of the games included advertisements for erectile-dysfunction drugs.
– 500 of the advertisements involved significant levels of violence, including gun fights, explosions and murders.
– 80 of the ads involved significant levels of sexuality, including scenes about prostitution and strippers.
It’s important for parents to address issues and share their values, so, when beer commercials come on, talk about your views on drinking,” Buchanan says in a statement.
“There are so many societal messages that say ‘drinking makes life fun.’ This is a parent’s opportunity to say what they think and start a discussion.”
However, Buchanan also recommends when there are questionable ads for your child to:
– Switch channels and find another show and return to the game or program after 2 minutes.
– Mute the TV, because without the sound, commercials lose a lot of their impact.
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