Nearly nine in ten parents think there are problems with the way some companies advertise products to children, according to a survey.
The poll of more than 1,000 people for the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) also found that 85 per cent of parents were unaware of the Government's dedicated complaints and advice website, ParentPort.
ParentPort was launched in response to a Government report into the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood - the Bailey Review - which was published a year ago today.
Parents were mostly concerned about sexually explicit outdoor advertising, marketing during children's TV programmes and the development of inappropriate products for children, such as padded bras, the poll found.
Targeting children on Facebook and in-store product placement also concerned parents.
The CIM called upon the Government to work directly with the marketing industry in order to address parents' concerns.
David Thorp, director of research at the Institute, said: "It's clear that parents still have very real concerns about the way some companies try to sell to children.
"The advertising that parents see and worry about is only the visible tip of the iceberg: marketing runs much deeper and touches on every part of product development, buying and placement.
"By looking at the often-invisible marketing decisions which lead to the creation of products like padded bras for children, we can treat the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms.
"We need to ensure that every decision that companies take about marketing to children is responsible and appropriate; parents should never have to react to inappropriate marketing."
