Commercial Alert praises Hillary Clinton's proposed ban on ads to preschoolers

[Gary Ruskin]

Commercial Alert			September 28, 2000

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:			For More Information Contact:
Thursday, September 28, 2000		Gary Ruskin (202) 296-2787

Commercial Alert Praises Hillary Clinton's Proposed Ban on Ads Targeted at
Preschoolers

	Commercial Alert applauded First Lady Hillary Clinton for
proposing to ban advertising targeted to preschoolers, and asked her to
explain her ideas in greater detail. According to yesterday's New York
Times, Mrs. Clinton said "Too many companies simply see our children as
little cash cows that they can exploit."

	"Mrs. Clinton's worthy proposal should have been enacted by
Congress years ago," said Gary Ruskin, Director of Commercial Alert.
"Preschoolers desperately need protection from corporations that promote
our noxious culture of  violent entertainment, video games, gambling,
materialism, alcohol, junk food and tobacco.  But older children are
vulnerable and need these safeguards too."

	"Parents can't cope with the fusillade of ads on their own, "
Ruskin said.  "They just need help."

	Mrs. Clinton also proposed a ban on advertising in public
elementary schools.  Such a proposal apparently would not substantially
affect Channel One, an in-school marketing company based in New York that
compels 8 million children to watch two minutes of ads each school day.
"Mrs. Clinton proposal would be a small step forward, but ought to be
extended to older children too.  The public classrooms are for learning,
not advertising."

	"Mrs. Clinton ought to explain precisely what she would do to
protect children from the influences of corporate advertisers," Ruskin
said.  "For example, would she support a ban corporations such as Channel
One, ZapMe! Coca-Cola and Pepsi from marketing in the public schools?
Would she prohibit the use of the public schools to promote violent
entertainment?"

	Last year, Commercial Alert wrote a letter, signed by sixty
psychologists, asking the American Psychological Association to protect
children against the use of psychology to influence or exploit children
for commercial purposes.  The letter is at
<http://www.essential.org/alert/releases/apaletrel.html>.

	Commercial Alert opposes corporate exploitation of children and
the excesses of advertising, marketing and commercialism.  Commercial
Alert's web address is <http://www.essential.org/alert>.

-30-
<--------news release ends here------>
Following is an excerpt of the September 27 edition of the Bulletin's
Frontrunner.

Hillary Proposes Ban On Ads To Young Kids. The New York Times (9/27,
Nagourney) reported, "Declaring that advertisers were directing a 'barrage
of materialistic marketing' at young children, Hillary Rodham Clinton
today called on the Federal government to ban commercials aimed at
preschool children, and to prohibit advertising inside public elementary
schools." Mrs. Clinton "said the Federal Trade Commission should be
authorized to ban advertising that it determines is intended for young
children susceptible to manipulation. She also called for legislation that
would prohibit the marketing of materials to children in elementary
schools, as on book covers with advertisements." Mrs. Clinton said, "Too
many companies simply see our children as little cash cows that they can
exploit. We know that advertisers target the youngest of our children.
Imagine. They are advertising to children who have not yet even reached
kindergarten. They are trying to get these children to be influenced in
what they want to buy and own." The New York Daily News (9/27, Lewine,
Siegel) reported, "Hillary Rodham Clinton proposed banning all TV
advertising directed at preschoolers yesterday and making public
elementary schools ad-free zones." With her proposals yesterday, the First
Lady "again borrowed from the playbook of her husband, who scored points
embracing such popular, narrowly drawn issues as school uniforms and the V
chip for TV sets. In seeking to limit TV ads aimed at preschoolers,
Clinton reopens a debate that raged when the Federal Trade Commission
under President Jimmy Carter was slapped down in its attempt to enact such
curbs. Under her proposal, the FTC would have the power to halt any such
commercials. " Clinton also "blasted a new generation of marketing and
advertising in elementary schools, such as free curriculum materials
sponsored by McDonald's and ads through media such as Channel One and the
Internet service ZapMe!" 
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