▶ Your Answer : There might be some people who believe that advertisement which targets young children should not be allowed. However, I personally disagree with the above idea for two subsequent reasons. First, it could be a violation of the Constitution. Second, we can get a lot of valuable information from advertisements. To begin with, prohibition of advertising directed toward young children could be against the Constitution. According to the Article 21 of the Constitution of Republic of Korea, everyone has the freedom of speech and it is also applied to even commercial advertisement. Of course, it is required to regulate the advertisements which have provocative contents, but it cannot be justified if an advertisement is prohibited just because it is targeting young children. The Constitutional Court of Korea also has the same position. A few years ago, there was a controversy whether the advertisement of medicine for hangover should be prohibited or not. Some insisted that the advertisement should not be allowed because it can encourage people to drink more. However, in the case, the Constitutional Court stated that the advertisements should not excessively regulated and the prohibition of advertising constitutes the infringe of freedom of speech. This clearly shows that ban on advertisement for young children can also be a violation of the Constitution. In addition, we can get plenty of valuable information from advertisements. As we should buy the things that we need, advertisement is a very important source of information. If there is a ban on advertisements for children, people would not gain useful information about brand new products for children which can enhance the quality of their lives. Let me bring up my personal story as an example. Two months ago, I saw an advertisement which promoted a commodity named “Caboard”. Caboard is a combination of carrier and kick board which is adequate for young children. Thanks to the advertisement, I could buy a caboard and presented it to my daughter and she really enjoys it now. To sum up, prohibition on advertisements for children can infringe of freedom of speech protected under the Constitution and it would lead to a loss of valuable information source. In this regard, I personally believe that advertising directed to young children should be allowed. |