Mit Kindern unterwegs im Internet

How is online advertising presented on the Internet? How is such advertising distinguishable from web sites’ editorial content? Do children recognize online advertising? How do they react to it? Do children have a sufficient level of advertising literacy at all? And is there a need for media regulators to review their stance on online advertising that targets children? To answer these multi-layered questions, an interdisciplinary research group at Stuttgart Media University (Germany) has scrutinized children’s Internet usage by way of content analyses of various web sites, a reception analysis, and a qualitative evaluation analysis. The study’s focus is on advertising featured on TV broadcasters’ web sites, presuming a multitude of interrelations between broadcast and online content that form a key component of the various channels’ advertising strategies. Results of this study will be relevant for readers from areas as wide-ranging as media politics, media law, media pedagogy, media and communication research, and media economics.