It is completely impossible to watch television, YouTube or even scroll on social media in Ohio right now without encountering a political attack ad. Attack ads are defined as, “political advertisement on TV or social media in which a political party or candidate strongly criticizes an opponent rather than presenting their own policies.”
The big candidates running for Ohio office right now, Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy running for governor and Sen. Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown running for the U.S. Senate, have plagued Ohio television and media with ugly, nasty ads, prioritizing personal attacks over meaningful discussion about policy. It is less about what you are doing right and more about what somebody else is doing wrong.
While modern political attack ads have been around since 1964, this new era consists of blatant insults, lies and fearmongering will have a lasting negative effect on children in Ohio and beyond. These ads are designed to sway voters, but the influence is extending beyond the intended audience, reinforcing political polarization and normalizing hostility to the youth who encounter them.
In the same way children are always watching their parents and teachers to learn how the world works, many children are also watching television and authority figures. There is no platform safe from political attack ads in Ohio right now, meaning many children are learning from the political hostility.
While there is no specific data on how often people are seeing attack ads in Ohio this election cycle, the data on money spent on attack ads is unfathomable.
For scale, MS Now reports Husted spent over $400 million on political ads between now and election day, and another $239 million was spent by others on Husted’s behalf. On Sherrod Brown’s side, $168 million has been spent on his behalf. From Sept. 29 to Oct. 5 alone, there was $5.3 million spent on ads for the governor's race.
For adults, these ads are cheap ploys to try and sway undecided voters with controversy and shock value. For children, this is their introduction to how America’s political system works, demonstrating insults are more important than explanations.
The precedent is already set for the next generation.
Government is a key topic of Ohio’s K-8 social studies curriculum, meaning most children have somewhat of an understanding of government and its functions. This starts as early as fourth grade, when students learn about Ohio’s place in the United States, as well as the foundations of government and the U.S. Constitution.
The language, rhetoric and attitudes used by these political advertisements, while nothing new, are creating a unique political environment for the next generation. Instead of watching mutual respect and civil debate from authority figures and elected officials, children see attacks.
Kenneth Miller, an associate professor of political science at University of Nevada Las Vegas, said these ads, “could fill a kid with questions at best and fear at worst.”
Even if children don’t understand what they are seeing, they are still paying attention and digesting these advertisements. Dark colors, stern voices and inflammatory language are designed to grab viewers’ attention. Political attack ads play into emotion, making them more memorable and emotional for viewers, whether these emotions are confusion, anger or annoyance.
While parents and school definitely shape a child’s political views, CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Arizona State University professor Ashley Landrum’s research of kids interacting with politics shows, “the role of the news media— and media in general— was the 'elephant in the room.’” Exposure to news media may also come at times when there is no adult around to explain what it means and what they are seeing.
Even if children cannot vote, they are always watching. They are going to ask their parents what it means when somebody is a “drunk” because words matter. We should be more concerned about the content of these ads in Ohio and how they will affect how the next generation navigates their political landscape.
Abby Shriver is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Abby about their column? Email/message them at as064024@ohio.edu / @abbyshriver_
