Advertising aimed at children contributes to a broad range of social problems, from underage drinking to premarital sex, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

"What kind of society exploits its children and teenagers for money? This is an example of where public health really has to trump capitalism," said Victor Strasburger of the University of New Mexico and lead author of the policy statement.

The Associated Press reported Dec. 4 that physicians cited a growing body of marketing aimed at children, from alcohol ads featuring cartoon characters to pitches for sugary cereals that critics say contribute to obesity. Pediatricians also were critical of ads for erectile-dysfunction drugs during sports broadcasts, and fast-food ads shown on educational programs broadcast in schools.

"Young people view more than 40,000 ads per year on television alone and increasingly are being exposed to advertising on the Internet, in magazines, and in schools," the AAP said. The group predicted that the problem would worsen with the emergence of interactive TV, which could allow youths to click through to Internet-based promotions tied to televised advertising.

The pediatricians' group called on Congress to ban alcohol ads with cartoon characters and attractive women, limiting ads to showing product images only. But Jeff Becker of the Beer Institute said that the "American Academy of Pediatrics is wrong to blame alcohol advertising for the actions of underage teens who willingly break the law to drink illegally."

The AAP policy statement and supporting documents appears in the December 2006 issue of the journal Pediatrics.