The crowd was subdued after watching “Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood”. The facilitator didn’t make an attempt to get a conversation going, so my friend and I left and did our own critique of the movie.
Devastating. Frightening. Horrifying. These are the descriptors that came out of our mouths. Although we’re both fairly enlightened parents, and we’d already read a lot about the advertising industry targeting kids, we agreed that the movie hammered home the evils in a powerful way. (You can view a trailer of the film by clicking here.)
Before the film began, I tried to clear my mind and ask the question “what’s so bad about advertisers selling to kids?” Before directly answering that question, the filmmakers spent a lot of time illustrating how advertisers market to kids. By the time they’d finished telling us the myriad methods advertisers utilize, I could answer the “what’s so bad about it” question pretty well myself.
The reasons include reinforcement of gender stereotypes, early sexualization of children, co-opting children’s imaginations, and, the worst offense, selling the notion that having more things brings happiness.
The idea that we’re raising a generation of “super consumers”, kids who can’t distinguish between wants and needs, really struck me.
In the United States, where most of us we have way more stuff than we could ever possibly need, and where our seemingly insatiable desires are having a devastating effect on the natural environment worldwide, one of the most valuable lessons we can teach our kids is that happiness doesn’t come from things, but from relationships – with ourselves, with others, and with the natural world.
The friend I went to see the film with is also in the family book group that I and my daughter belong to, and her daughter is one of the kids who has never eaten a Big Mac (see my previous blog). She and I, and our husbands, are constantly walking that line between sheltering our kids and letting them explore the world, making decisions on their own.
Both of our families watch very little television, don’t own gaming systems, and try to talk openly about what’s going on around us. Her kids play sports, mine just like to play outside a lot, and both families are also big readers. We try not to view shopping as a recreational activity, and when we go out to eat, we like to support local restaurants where people care about the food they’re serving and know where it comes from.
Of course we’re not perfect, and as our kids get older, peer influence is becoming increasingly important. But our efforts do seem to be paying off, with our kids developing a healthy awareness that advertisers are out to get their money, and that they don’t need everything that’s marketed to them.
Do you agree that the amount and type of marketing aimed at kids is a problem? Which tactics do you use to protect your kids from corporate marketing?
Submitted by Anne
June 10th, 2009 | Category: Metro Parent
