Internet, Advertising and Childhood

Abstract

Increasingly, children are innocently and curiously exploring the internet, and advertising companies are taking advantage of this.  By targeting children, these companies can easily access their parents' wallets and family information, thereby adding them to their list of potential future customers. The first section of this article presents the most recent voluntary regulations created by merchant and advertising associations due to the lack of international legislation governing children's and young people's use of the internet.

In the second section, the article examines the implicit and explicit advertising present on various Spanish-language websites popular among children and young people, including information about the audience that visits these sites.

This research highlights the need for improved regulation of advertising aimed at children, even though advertisers and merchants are beginning to recognise this necessity.