Last Updated on August 21, 2020 by Ellen Christian
Are our children aware enough to understand the difference between advertising and reality? Advertising is everywhere. As an adult, I tend to tune it out. When the commercials come on TV, I fold laundry or talk to my husband. When I’m reading a magazine, I flip past the glossy ads promising me instant youth and vitality. When I’m surfing on the internet, I ignore the flashing boxes advertising products to me. Can our children do the same thing? Do younger kids understand the difference between a television program and an ad trying to sell the latest sugary cereal?
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Advertising in the Classroom
When my children were younger, I was selective with what television channels they watched. I generally chose public television stations because I trusted the content and the advertising was minimal. If your young children are online, there are ad blocking programs you can activate that will block ads from being shown on websites that they use. Did you know that your kids may be exposed to advertising in the classroom?
Most children, even at a young age, are being taught how to use computers in school. I was quite surprised that kids as young as 5 have computer time at school. Your children may be exposed to advertising in the classroom while they are being taught to use the computer and educational websites. Even as teenagers, my children use the computer at school to research topics for papers and projects. Many times they are being exposed to advertising in the classroom.
My son and daughter are prone to believe advertising that they see. My son recently tried to convince me that an energy drink was a healthy drink for breakfast because it had juice in it. Why did he think that? Because the advertisement told him that it was.
If advertising in the classroom is something that concerns you, you’ll be glad to know that Bing is offering #adfreesearch for all schools, which includes the removal of all advertising, strict filters for adult content, and enhanced privacy protection. Bing in the Classroom removes ads and blocks searches from being used for personalized advertising for all Bing searches done through the school’s network, making Bing the only major search engine to provide a search offering tailored specifically for the classroom.
Bing has made it even easier for people to support the schools they care about. Their popular Bing Rewards program enables people to earn credits towards Surface tablets for a school of their choice simply by signing up and searching with Bing. Now they are making it easier to see how many Rewards credits an individual school has earned. You can search for any school by ZIP code and see how many other people are contributing, how many Surface tablets the school has earned so far, and how many credits are needed to earn the next Surface. And they’ll also tell you if the school is registered for the search enhancements, so you can know if your kids are receiving ad-free, safer, more private search in the classroom when they choose Bing.
Anyone can earn credits just by searching the web with Bing—similar to a frequent flyer program. Credits can be donated to help get free Microsoft Surface tablets for schools. It’s easy! All you have to do is stay signed in as you search with Bing.
To begin supporting schools with Bing rewards, simply visit the campaign landing page and select “Find your school” map in the lower right corner of the page. Next, enter your school’s zip code and select the name of your school via the dropdown menu and select “Find”. From here, select the “Support Your School” section and click on the “Try it now, FREE!” section. You’ll be prompted to create a Microsoft account, or sign in with your Facebook account. All you have to do is stay signed in as you search with Bing to earn credits.
Sign up here!
Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
I always worry about what my kids are seeing online. It seems like ads are everywhere nowadays!
They really are, Diane!
I know my kids can not tell the difference, so I love that they can use an ad free search engine. ANd I love that the credits can be used for the school.
Definitely a plus all the way around, Debi!
Bing is such a great tool for the classroom. I started using it several months ago so the school that my kids go to can benefit as well.
I agree, Stacie! I love that I can help out by searching!
I did not know that advertising in the classroom was so common! Bing’s adfreesearch sounds awesome for schools.
I had no idea either, Pam. I’m glad Bing is offering an alternative!
This sounds great, I need to do this in our homeschooling classroom and outside of it too!
I hope that many classrooms take advantage of this!
This is fantastic! What a great way to bring up a chance to talk about ads and reality. Bing has stepped it up! And that’s a reason to switch.
Definitely, Tara. I agree completely!
Our kids need an ad free world, seriously! It’s crazy what gets marketed to their innocent minds. (The very reason why we cut cable and switched to Netflix)
Totally agree, Marina! Wouldn’t it be great if it was.
This is a great service Switching to bing
That’s fantastic, Kathe!
This is really cool. I used to use the internet in my classroom all the time, but some of the ads that pop up are so inappropriate. This is a great idea.
That’s exactly it, Aimee! It’s scary!
I love this. My youngest is in the “asking for everything” stage, and doesn’t understand advertising at all.
That is a hard stage, Sarah!
I’ve never heard of this before but I think it’s a great idea. I am constantly having to remind my children that advertising is is just that and not always to be believed. This is a really great tool for our schools!
I agree. I hope that lots of the schools take advantage of this!
It makes such a difference to me that it’s ad-free. Our kids are inundated with ads.School should be free of it.
It’s really a great thing that they are doing!
Great post I had no idea but it’s nice to know this. Gotta love Bing’s ad free search!
Glad to share, Kristin!
Such a great post and awareness raiser. I can’t tell you how many times I had disputes with my son over commercial validity. Luckily he learned about it in school at just the right time and it really resonated with him!
That is it exactly, Dawn!
My children are young and they have a hard time understanding the difference between an ad and reality. It is important to take out the ads, especially in the classroom!
Totally agree, Kristen. I am so glad they’re doing this.
Cool and interesting. I learned something new. Thank you!
Glad to share, Janice!
This is something I have never thought of because I don’t have kids! I think removing them is a great idea. Kids need zero distractions from learning.
That’s exactly it, Jennifer!
That is neat you can do an ad free search with Bing! I haven’t really used their search engine much but good to know!!
I agree! I love that they are doing this.
I do use Bing to collect search credits, but spent them all on airline miles….didn’t realize there was a donation option.
Next time, try it this way! So cool you are using Bing!