The Commercialisation of Childhood? The ethics of research with primary school children

Résumé En

The 7-11 market has never been more attractive; British children in this age group are estimated to have a personal disposable income of around $2.7 billion and their US counterparts $20 billion. It is no surprising, therefore, that there is now greater commercial interest in this age group than ever before. However, researching their views is emotive and fraught, especially if the research is profit-motivated rather than to inform social policy. The advertising industry is no stranger to the ethics of targeting children. The topic has been debated heavily since the 1970s and is currently in the media spotlight again with the junk food controversy. The debate over the fairness or other wise of conducting market research with children is not yet mature enough for any one paradigm to have gained supremacy. There are 3 types of behavior that are not ethically acceptable, however: 1. driving a wedge between children and parents, 2. asking children to spy on their friends, and 3. exploitation of children.