In a major case that has reached the State Supreme Court, parents of a 15-year-old girl have sued a major clothing company for endangering the welfare of a child. According to the girl's parents, the advertisements of the clothing company represent false images of youth. The images show very thin young women engaged in activities of a questionable nature (at parties where alcohol appears to be present, in sexual situations, looking depressed or anxious).

The parents contend that because of these images their daughter began to engage in similar questionable activities. Further, she developed an intense loyalty to this particular clothing label, and she began to exhibit eating disorder symptoms in an attempt to look like the models in the ads.

The clothing company states that they are not responsible for the actions of this or any other teenager, and their ads are simply images that promote their product. According to the company, it is up to the parents to monitor their children. If a teenager chooses to see ads as more than they are, the parents should educate them.

On the side of the parents is an advocacy organization that takes the stand that children are often marketed to, and this practice must be curbed. The organization has researched this issue, and wants to provide support to the parents.

The teenage girl is not sure exactly where she stands, but she does know that she has had little instruction in how to view ads aimed at her in a critical, informed manner. She wants to know more about media literacy, and how ads can affect her.

You are assigned to one of these groups: Advertisers, Advocates, or Teens. As a group-member, it is your job to research your role in the advertising market.

Once you have done this, you can form an educated opinion as to the outcome of this court case:

Should the parents win a settlement against the advertising clothing company? Or is it the responsibility of a minor, and his or her parents, to know how to critically view advertising?

Who should be instructing us about truth versus fiction in advertising?

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