The Commercialization of Childhood

According to Compass, "Today, by the age of ten children can on average recall 300 to 400 brands "that`s twenty times the number of birds in the wild they can name. 70% of three year olds recognise the McDonalds symbol but only half of them know their own surname.

Evidence suggests that engulfed with images of how they should look and be and what they should own, children struggle to keep up resulting in higher rates of depression and low self esteem, and, of course, conflict in families when parents have to say no, specifically engineered by marketers as part of their profit-making strategy.

The Report argues that "The boundaries between the child and adult worlds are disappearing. Girls are being sold lacy underwear even before they reach their teenage years and toys like the Bratz Secret Date Collection containing champagne glasses and `date night accessories` are marketed to six year olds. Clothes, toys and music alongside magazines and TV all reflect and promote the sexualisation of childhood, especially for girls."

The Report concludes that : "Millions of pounds are spent conditioning children to become young consumers. Who is forming our children - parents, guardians, friends, families, teachers, community workers - or an army of psychologists, branding gurus, marketing experts, advertisers who are spending billions to shape young minds in the name of profit. Can children be children before they are consumers?"