Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood 2009
Distributed by Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic St., Northampton, MA 01060; 800-897-0089
Produced by Adriana Barbaro, Jason T. Young
Director n/a
DVD , color, 67 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Child Development, Media Studies, Psychology
Date Entered: 01/29/2009
Reviewed by Nicole Cooke, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJConsuming Kids is a fascinating account of how today's children (even as young as toddlers) are being marketed to and courted as consumers. Children are the most lucrative consumers of products, not only because they spend their own money, but because they have powerful influence over the spending dollars of their parents and other caregivers. Often clever, subtle and even insidious, children are subjected to peer pressure and promises of popularity if they subscribe to a certain product, and with product placements and endorsements reaching new heights, there are few, if any, outlets where children are not exposed to product marketing.
Informative and enlightening, Consuming Kids, is of excellent quality in terms of video, audio and editing components, and is highly recommended. This film is best suited for school and academic libraries, and compliments curriculum units on child development, psychology, and media studies.