MONEY HABITS · THOUGHTFUL PAUSES
Who Is Trying to Sell to Me? Building Children’s Advertising and Consumer-Literacy Skills Online and In Stores
Children encounter persuasive messages everywhere — on screens, in stores, and through peer recommendations. Teaching them to notice labels, calls to action, and design features that signal advertising helps them make more informed choices. This guide offers age-adjustable activities and household routines families can use while respecting privacy and emphasizing caregiver supervision for online experiences.
What is advertising, and why teach it?
Advertising uses words, images, and design to encourage people to buy or try something. For children, the goal isn't to eliminate exposure but to build simple recognition skills: noticing persuasive features, asking questions, and pausing before decisions. Frame these skills as tools for curiosity rather than distrust.
Explain that advertising appears in many formats: traditional signs and commercials, product placements in videos, influencers on social platforms, in-app messages, and special displays in stores. Caregiver supervision is important for online spaces and for any interactions that involve collecting personal data.
Spotting persuasive techniques in stores and online
Teach a few repeatable cues: Clear calls to action ('Buy now', 'Limited time'), frequent use of bright colors and large fonts to attract attention, placement at child eye level, and endorsements by people or characters. In digital spaces, point out pop-ups, autoplay videos, sponsored labels, and 'native' content that looks like regular posts.
Use real-world examples at the grocery aisle or while watching a video at home. Say aloud simple observations: "That sign says 'special price' — it’s trying to get our attention. Let’s pause and ask why." For online examples, always preview content as a caregiver and avoid directing children to unsupervised sites.
Age‑flexible, low‑cost practice activities
Preschool (3–6): Play a spotting game on short outings: ask your child to point to the brightest sign or the image that looks like a cartoon character. Keep rules simple and make it playful: the goal is noticing, not evaluating.
Early elementary (6–9): Do a short 'ad scavenger hunt' during a walk or quiet screen time: find three examples of things trying to get your attention (a colorful display, a pop-up, a trending toy in a magazine). Discuss what each one is asking you to do — buy, click, or ask a grown-up.
Tweens (9–13): Practice critical questions: Who is speaking? What are they asking me to do? What information are they using to persuade me? Role-play scenarios where a tween must decide whether to spend their own money, and include a short cooling-off period to model pausing before purchase decisions.