Children's Television Advertising: An Ethical Morass for Business and Government

The confrontation between marketers and broadcasters and the FTC over regulation of children's television advertising illustrates the effect of ethic conflict on public policy. Ethic theory describes circumstances where instinctive and personal values of “right” are contested with situational consequences. Such ethic dilemmas are apparent in both corporate and government positions on the issue. Business publicly professes concern for child welfare but appears captive of market exigency. The FTC staff is similarly caught between a moral certitude akin to a crusade and the situational reality that its proposals are too severe for acceptance. The paper suggests the product of such conflicts is the abrasive and contentious atmosphere we find in the current debate.