Tweens, or children between the ages of eight and 12, have $200 billion dollars in purchasing power. And, marketers know it. Because of this, tweens are often targets of advertising and marketing programs, which means they are seeing ads everywhere they go.
The Federal Trade Commission is a consumer protection agency that is responsible for enforcing laws to prohibit unfair and deceptive advertising and marketing programs. The FTC recently partnered with Scholastic to help children understand the power of advertising and become more educated consumers.
Advertisements on TV captivate children with the bright colors, imagery and in many cases animation and characters, which entice kids to demand these foods from their parents. Many of the products that are being marketing to tweens are unhealthy snacks, drinks and sugary cereals. The FTC wants children to start thinking about what the ad is saying and what it is trying to tell them to do. Once they figure out the answer to those questions they can then think about whether or not it is something they still want or need.
To help educate these kids, it is important to start by teaching them to spot ads. These can be product placements in movies, on TV, or even integrated into video games. To help with this education, a tool has launched through the partnership of the FTC and Scholastic entitled Admongo. To learn more about Admongo and how you can use this tool at home or in your classroom visit: Admongo Advertising Education For Tweens