1. Advertising has an influence on everyone in one way or another, but it especially has had an influence on children. 2. Advertising influences children’s choice of toys. If a television commercial displays children laughing and playing, children think it must be a great toy, regardless of the type. For example, my three old desperately wants a skateboard for Christmas. Every time he sees a skateboard commercial, he gets excited. He believes that if he had a skateboard, he would instantly have the same fun and skill as the boys on television.
3. Another influence advertising has had is on the clothes children want to wear. Clothes from Wal-Mart and K-Mart are no longer satisfactory. Brand names such as GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, and American Eagle are much more appealing to them. My teenage daughter is constantly looking through catalogs and magazines, examining each outfit down to the last detail. She continuously wants to change her wardrobe to keep up with the latest fashion trends and most popular brand names.
4. Last, advertising influences the food children want to eat. Cartoon characters are placed on boxes of foods such as crackers and cereal to influence young children.
5. As long as companies to target our youth with advertising jingles, slogans, and cartoon characters, children and teenagers will continue to be influenced by the product with the most advertising appeal.

1 Decide if they are TRUE or FALSE and explain your choice
Children want to buy products they see in the advertisement even if they don’t know what it is.
2 Teens and children don’t care about the latest fashion.
3 Companies do not use the famous cartoon characters to sell their products.

Read the article and write the answers from the text.

4. 4. What is the aim of an advertisement? (paragraph 1)

5. 5. What does a child believe having a skateboard? (paragraph 2)

6. 6. Why does a teenage girl want to change her wardrobe? (paragraph 3)