Tell companies not to advertise to children in school

Parents should have a right to determine when and where their children can be exposed to advertising. Unfortunately, Channel One and BusRadio undermine that control by using compulsory school attendance laws to force a captive audience of children to listen to advertising. New American Dream has joined with more than 100 organizations and advocates from all across the political spectrum – from the National Parent Teacher Association to Susan Sarandon to Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum – to call on companies not to advertise their products on Channel One and BusRadio. Will you send an email to 17 of Channel One and BusRadio’s biggest advertisers asking them to withdraw their support for this unethical marketing? Learn more about Channel One and BusRadio About Channel One and BusRadio Channel One is a highly controversial in-school marketing company that delivers televised content to nearly 11,500 schools throughout the nation. In exchange for video equipment, these schools now compel children to spend one full school week each year watching television, including one full school day just for the ads. BusRadio is the newest foray of advertisers into public schools. It seeks to install special radio equipment into school buses that will carry that company’s offerings, including eight minutes of ads per hour. In its contract with school districts, BusRadio does not rule out advertising any particular type of products. If Channel One is any guide, we might expect BusRadio to advertise junk food, soda pop, violent and sexualized entertainment, and movies that encourage schoolchildren to smoke tobacco. Whatever BusRadio advertises, children as young as six will have no choice as to whether to listen or not. It is wrong for a company to use compulsory school attendance laws to force a captive audience of children to listen to advertising. As most practitioners in the field recognize, successful advertising depends on the willing participation of both advertiser and consumer. BusRadio and Channel One violate this fundamental principle. By sending an email to corporations you are asking them to stop advertising on Channel One and BusRadio. We hope you will join with us by making a difference with our collective voices to stop advertising to children who should not be compelled to listen to or watch advertising. Close me... Not from the U.S.?

November 22, 2009 Subject: I recently learned that your corporation has been advertising via either Channel One or BusRadio to children while they are in school. I believe it is unethical for marketers to take advantage of compulsory school attendance laws to force a captive audience of children to listen to advertising. As advertising has seeped into public schools, an increasing number of advertising and marketing professionals have expressed deep misgivings about marketing to schoolchildren. According to a 2004 Harris poll of youth advertising and marketing professionals, 47% believe that “schools should be a protected area” and that “there should not be advertising to students on school grounds.” New research suggests that aggressive marketing to children contributes not only to excessive materialism but also to a host of psychological and behavioral problems, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, childhood obesity, eating disorders, increasing violence and family stress. We need companies like yours to model responsible marketing and respect the limits on when and where to advertise to our children. Please pledge publicly that your company will stop buying ad space from Channel One and/or BusRadio. We will add your signature from the information you provide.		First Name* Last Name* Email* Street* Street 2 City* State/Province* Select a state Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces (the) Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory Other Zip/Postal Code* Send an Email