Is marketing to children unethical?

I dont think it is unethical, although, I did spend many years teaching my boys, about misleading information on TV.

Yes. A radio program talked about this in depth about how it can subtly change their habits from good to bad. Everything from what they eat to what they wear and how they act is in some way influenced by marketing these days. (How many times have kids screamed out Mickey D's when you the driver can't even see the golden arches yet) That's brand recognition, big time gimmic. I don't or can't link anything, but the show was called: Fast Food, Fat Nation, on the Cambridge forum, put on by WGBH Boston. It was very informative and wakes you up to the psychology and sociology involved in marketing. Just a bunch of mind games at any age.

Kid whines about wanting something non-stop, a parents got two choices: give in or refuse and face the music. I typically choose the latter. It's louder, but in the end well worth it.

I think it's unethical for parents to teach their children to fall for advertisements by giving in to their every want. The companies are just trying to make money. Can you really blame them? The parents are the ones who have the say in what they buy, not the companies.

A program i was watching was discussing marketing for things aimed at children. It was beyond wrong.

They had one marketing company who put cameras in a kids wardrobe, kitchen and BATHROOM (how they got parental consent i don't know) to see what clothes the kid chose to wear, what cereal they chose to eat, and what bath products they chose to use while in the BATH
(how they interact with the products, to see how they could market them further)

This is such whacked marketing! Wouldn't this count as paedophilia? If a paedophile was caught doing this they would be arrested/jailed, but because this is in the name of "marketing" it makes this ok?!

This is just evil with a bow around it in my opinion.

No, they gotta learn the rules of the game early or be consumed by it as adults.

How can it be unethical to market to your target audience? that's silly. It's suppose to arouse interest. If you didn't, you couldn't sell it and no one would desire it. You might as well ask:
"Is marketing to human beings unethical?"
It doesn't even need to be a particular product. The whole point of marketing is to arouse desire in someone. I can be marketing warheads to terrorist and you can say that is unethical.

Answer:
No, because it's in control of the consumer to decide to acquire it. I can arouse desire all I want, if they don't buy it, I don't sell it. nothing unethical about it. It would be the parents fault for allowing the child to obtain the money to buy it. Same can be said for the parent who buys it for the child. That's one of the potential contributing factors of a spoiled child.

Solution: Awareness.
If you don't know what your putting your money into can effect the child in a negative way that you are in control of, what purpose does it serve to buying the product?
'Know your investment before you invest.' That's being ethical.

Source?: I took a marketing class in high school.

No, if we wish to treat everyone as equals so should children. If we market to the parents, they would never buy the things we are marketing they'd look for something cheaper which also satisfies the child.

Of course it is!

But since when has Capitalism ever been about ethics?