A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste : Congress is right to want to limit the number of TV ads thrown at children

Next time your kids plop down before the television set, think about this: By the time they reach college age, many children will have spent more time watching TV than they have in classrooms. That means exposure to more than 200,000 commercials in the first 18 years of theirlives.

Enough is enough. Congress is on the right track with a final version of a bill to limit the number of commercials shown during TV programs directed at children. It is a significant step in acknowledging that an audience of children is different from one of adults. Most grown-ups can readily decipher the difference between the programming and commercials. Children often cannot. With advertising directed at children now popping up in videotapes and even in schools, it’s prudent to protect children from being bombarded by ads.

The measure would limit the amount of advertising on commercial television stations to 10 1/2 minutes per hour on the weekends and 12 minutes per hour on weekdays. Since commercial television stations were freed of ad restrictions in 1984, the amount of advertising has grown to as much as 14 minutes per hour in some markets.

The legislation also would provide parents and community members an opportunity to voice their concerns and objections about children’s programming to the Federal Communications Commission. In considering a station license renewal, the FCC would have to examine a station’s compliance with the advertising limits and the extent to which it “has served the educational and informational needs of children in its overall programming.” There is reason to hope that this would make stations more mindful that programming for children cannot simply be, in effect, merchandising tie-ins for products pitched in commercials.

The National Assn. of Broadcasters, which has opposed similar legislation in the past, supports the proposed limits. Cable broadcasters, who would not be subject to the restrictions, have agreed to abide by them. All President Bush has to do is sign the bill when it arrives on his desk next month.

TV’s Young Audience How much Tv kids watched weekly in 1989 (in hours and minutes) 2-5 years: 27:49 6-11: 23:39 12-17: 21:67 Source: Nielsen Report on Television