220304 Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM

Adriana Barbaro , Media Education Foundation, Media Education Foundation, Northampton, MA
The documentary film, "Consuming Kids", throws desperately needed light on the practices of a relentless multi-billion dollar marketing machine that now sells kids and their parents everything from junk food and violent video games to bogus educational products and the family car. Drawing on the insights of health care professionals, children's advocates, and industry insiders, the film focuses on the explosive growth of child marketing in the wake of deregulation, showing how youth marketers have used the latest advances in psychology, anthropology, and neuroscience to transform American children into one of the most powerful and profitable consumer demographics in the world. "Consuming Kids" pushes back against the wholesale commercialization of childhood, raising urgent questions about the ethics of children's marketing and its impact on the health and well-being of kids.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
The audience will be able to analyze the way media markets products to children -- sugary cereals, junk food, clothing, electronics, and more. The audience will be able to describe the various ways marketers target children. The audience will be able to identify the impact of children's marketing on the health and well-being of kids.

Keywords: Media Literacy, Children

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the producer of the film
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.