The "Branding" of America's Children:
How You Can Help Your Child Resist Media Pressure

My two-year-old had memorized the names of all the characters on Sesame Street before he knew the names of his aunts and uncles. At the supermarket, he would beg for the "Big Bird" shampoo or the "Blue's Clue's" coloring book, the brightly colored, but generic, shampoo or coloring book was already beneath his consumer radar. His favorite pajamas-Winnie the Pooh. And the pair that had a no-name bear on the shirt were also named "Winnie-the-Pooh" pajamas. In his mind, pajamas with a bear named Pooh were always preferable to a pair with an ordinary bear. I try to limit his exposure to television, and then only public television programs. I know the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations for television viewing (no more than one to two hours per day), and I do try to talk with him about what he is watching to try to make television watching more of an interactive past time, not a solely passive one. And of course, when the day has been long and stressful, I have blissfully surrendered to one more video or one more hour of "Dragon Tales" and "Barney" to have a little bit of time to start dinner or empty the dishwasher or whatever other task has been deferred to the needs of a two-year-old. But, despite my best intentions, my kid already has a formed consumer consciousness. He knows his preferred cereal, his yogurt, his juice box by brand name-and manages to surprise me all the time with his awareness of the media. If he is already so receptive as a toddler, how much more a part of him will brand names and advertising be as he grows older?

Six Billion Dollars of Disposable Income…and Climbing

Advertisers know that children are huge consumers-children have an estimated $6 billion to spend each year in allowance money-and children are watching on average 3-4 hours of television per day-mostly unaccompanied by an adult. Advertisers also know that more and more children have an active role in family decision-making on purchases at the grocery store, at the auto dealer and at the travel agent. The advertising blitz is most potent in the "tween" market (ages 9-14) when kids are at their most desperate to fit in but are still quite impressionable and very, very fad-conscious. But, with one research study finding that 10 percent of a two-year-old's vocabulary is made up of brand names, the marketing blitz to kids in the primary grades, pre-school, and younger, is in full force.

And, turning off the TV is no longer an answer. Kids are exposed to advertising in magazines, at stores, on the Internet, on public transportation-even in schools where Channel One is beamed into classrooms and food manufacturers offer money for sole rights to the school cafeteria vending machines. So, what can a parent do? Actually, you can do a lot - mostly by sharpening your child's critical thinking skills.

Helping Your Child To Think Realistically About Advertising Messages

The most important thing you can do is to sit with your child and share viewing time. When ads come on, make sure your child knows that the program has stopped and an ad has begun. Often, the programming is so seamless that ads and programs blend and little children, especially, may have a hard time telling them apart.

Talk about the point of ads. Why do they think this ad was run during this particular program? What product is being advertised? (Sometimes this is very hard to tell.) Who is the audience for the ad? What kinds of feelings does the ad want the viewer to feel when watching the ad? (excitement, happiness, contentment,) What does the advertiser hope the viewer will do? ( Run out and buy the product or bug his parents to buy the product!) Is the ad realistic? (Do animals really talk? Do most people resemble the models in the ad? Does the celebrity really use this product?) What strategies is the advertiser using to make you want to buy this product? ( All the cool kids own one, you'll be cool too if you get one. You'll be happy if you buy this. You'll look better if you buy this. You'll be smarter if you buy this and on and on and on…).

Talk about where kids can get the information they need to make good choices when they buy something. They can compare products at a store, read a kid's consumer magazine such as Zillions or check out a website that compares products. They can talk to people who have bought the product and get their opinions.

Talk about other powerful messages the media sends-messages about popularity, body image, relationships, dating-and how those messages may differ from the values of your family.

Help your child become a good consumer. Teach him about budgeting. Model good spending habits. Help him avoid impulse buying and help him set goals for spending and saving his money.

It is easy to blame the media for many of the pressures and behaviors kids are subject to in contemporary society. And while the media is a powerful force, it can also be tamed -active and concerned parents are always an even more powerful influence on their children's lives.