This generation of young children is probably one of the most profitable generations when it comes to consumerism. The children being the target of invasive advertising where truth is distorted and where there is no clear line dividing what is real and not real is happening right before our eyes.
Children younger than eight easily believe what the ads are telling them. I know because I have two children in that age bracket. They think that just because a product is seen on television endorsed by good-looking children mean that they have to get those products on our next trip to the supermarket.
I do not subscribe to their wishes easily. Not because the children in a TV ad are eating vegetables as a result of the use of artificial flavoring mean I must have that too. Not because beautiful children with beautiful smiles use a certain brand of toothpaste mean I have to get that for them too. We gotta be more practical than believing in TV ads that aims to make a profit.
How can my children have a higher IQ by just drinking a certain brand of milk if I do not teach them how to use their thinking skills?
For me, good products do not need blatant advertising.
These products being advertised do not just center on food items which are most often than not bereft of nutritional value, but extends to clothes, toys, must-have electronic gadgets, events, and other consumables.
Excessive materialism and believing in products because of advertising are just a few things we can teach children regarding consumerism. Not everything should be carried from the supermarket aisle all the way to the ringing retail pos systems or in other words, cash register.
So what should parents do?
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