WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On September 10, the
NFL kicks off its season, and about 5.3 million children ages 2 to 17 will be
watching football with their parents this fall. Pro football is by far the
most popular sport among kids; 65.7% of kids ages 7-11 say they watch pro
football on television. But what are your children watching besides football?
Advertisements promoting alcohol and sexual-enhancement drugs.
These ads have increased significantly during broadcasts of NFL games in
recent years, leaving parents of children who enjoy watching the games
wondering what they should do.
Christy Buchanan, an expert on parent-child relationships and a professor of
psychology at Wake Forest University, can address the effect these ads have on
kids and how parents can handle commercial breaks that challenge family
values.
A recent study by the non-profit group Common Sense Media reviewed nearly 60
games, more than 180 hours of coverage, watched nearly 6,000 commercials and
showed the following:
* 300 of the ads were for alcohol
* 40% 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 advertisements involved significant levels of sexuality, including
scenes about prostitution and strippers
Buchanan offers the following tips to parents trying to figure out what to do
when a kindergartner asks "What is Viagra?" or a teenager comments on how much
fun people are having in a beer commercial:
* Take a "values moment" -- Leave the TV on, but talk about family values. For
older children (middle school age and up), parents can use the opportunity to
engage children in conversation, particularly about issues such as drinking.
"It is important for parents to address issues and share their values,"
Buchanan says. "So, when beer commercials come on, talk about your views on
drinking. 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."
* Switch channels and find another show -- For younger children, hit the
flashback button to Animal Planet or "SpongeBob" on the remote control, and
then go back to the game in two minutes.
* Mute the TV -- Without the sound, commercials lose a lot of their impact.
Parents can also use the time to talk about what's happening in the game.
* Turn off the TV
This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information,
visit http://www.newswise.com.
SOURCE Wake Forest University
Cheryl Walker of Wake Forest University, +1-336-758-5237, walkercv@wfu.edu
