Ethics of Advertising to Children in the Saudi Context: Cheat or Treat

The purpose of this study is to explore parents attitudes toward various ethical aspects of advertising to children, based on empirical investigation in the Saudi context. Within a non-probability sampling scheme, the study used a Mall intercept approach to collect the required data from a usable sample of 437 parents, located in major shopping malls in the city of Jeddah, using the drop-off method. The main findings show that Saudi parents were generally favorable about certain ethical aspects of advertising to their children, such as promoting appropriate products, while they were concerned about other aspects, such as message credibility and disclosure of necessary information. The study concluded with appropriate implications and recommendations.