Tfc Task Force

his report summarizes the findings and conclusions of the TFAC. Two background papers were developed to address in greater depth particular issues of concern to the task force: The psychological implications of (1) the increasing commercialization of childhood, with particular respect to the role of television advertising; and (2) commercialism in schools. The task force also discussed at length the ethical issues surrounding the involvement of psychologists in marketing products to children. Similarly, the task force addressed roles psychologists and organized psychology might play in helping to mitigate some of the problems identified in our review of research on the effects of advertising and commercialism on children and youth. These deliberations

In October 2000, the APA Board of Directors appointed the following six individuals to the task force: Joanne Cantor, PhD; Peter Dowrick, PhD; Dale Kunkel, PhD; Susan Linn, EdD; Edward Palmer, PhD; and Brian Wilcox, PhD (chair). Daniel Broughton, MD, served as liaison from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and two APA members, Allen Kanner, PhD, and Velma LaPoint, PhD, attended some of the task force meetings. The task force benefited enormously from the able assistance of several APA staff members: Jeanie Kelleher, Mary Campbell, Jeff McIntyre, Trena King, and Henry Tomes, PhD. The task force held three meetings, all at the APA building in Washington, DC. The first meeting, held December 8–10, 2000, was designed to seek input from a variety of sources and to develop a work plan to guide the task force efforts. Prior to the meeting a variety of research articles were distributed to members of the TFAC. The task force members invited two guests to address them on developing issues in advertising and children. Arnold Fege, president of Public Advocacy for Kids (and former legislative director for the National PTA), spoke to the TFAC about commercialism within schools. Amy Aidman, PhD, director of research for the Center on Media Education, addressed the changing nature of commercial appeals to children in digital media, particularly the Internet. The task force also met with Nathalie Gilfoyle, JD, APA legal counsel, and Stephen Behnke, PhD, director of the APA Ethics Office, to discuss issues pertaining to the ethics of psychologists ' involvement in advertising to children. Task force members then reviewed recent research on advertising and children and discussed a recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report on the marketing of violent entertainment to children. The first meeting concluded with the development of a plan to address three issues: (1)