Green Daily

Anyone who hangs out with kids knows how vulnerable they are to advertising. And here is the next place advertisers and marketers have their sights on...School buses.

According to a recent Advertising Age article via Moms on Media, some school districts in Michigan are now considering selling ad space inside school buses. Inside. Not on the outside, where at least the kids wouldn't be exposed to them for the half hour to an hour that it takes to get to school. Why not the outside of the bus instead? Because putting ads on the outside of school buses is against the law. Oh, the irony.

And if we can advertise inside school buses, where will it stop? Will children's desks and the walls of their classrooms soon be covered with ads? Perhaps teachers can start wearing promotional t-shirts and principals can start dressing up as the commercialized cartoon character of the week.

When it comes to kids, if they see it, there is a good chance that they'll be asking for it. Which can end up with kids asking for more junky toys that will eventually end up in a landfill, more crummy foods, you name it. While I sympathize with the school districts who are seeking more funds, in a world where state and local budgets are being crunched more and more, kids are already exposed to enough advertising. Let's keep the inside of school buses and their captive audiences free from it.

What do you think? Do you think school districts should be able to place ads inside school buses?