Resources for Parents - Marketing & Consumerism

Co-Co's AdverSmarts

This interactive unit is designed to help kids between the ages of 5 and 8 recognize the marketing techniques used on commercial websites that target children.

Talking to kids about tobacco in media

Even though you're competing against peer pressure and million-dollar marketing campaigns, research has shown that kids are less likely to get involved in smoking or vaping if they've discussed them with their parents. Talking to our kids about tobacco and cannabis advertising will help them recognize when they're being advertised to and identify the tricks companies use to normalize teen smoking and vaping, making their products seem safer and less addictive than they really are.

Here are some tips on talking to kids about vaping, tobacco and cannabis advertising.

Managing media with tweens (10-13 years old)

Helping Kids Build Safe and Smart Digital Habits

There are four main strategies to help kids become resilient to online risks. We can:

Curate our kids’ media experiences;

Control who can access our kids and their data;

Co-view media with our kids;

and be our kids’ media Coaches.

Online Commerce

Kids don’t just see ads in media: more and more, they buy things right on their screens. This section looks at the ways that young people shop online and how they can be manipulated into spending.

An inch wide and a mile deep

Surely you've heard of Inspector Spacetime, the cult British TV series that's run (with interruptions) since 1962. It has a tremendously active, engaged fanbase that's created blogs, videos and music devoted to it. Oh, and one more thing -- it never existed. It was made up as a thirty-second gag on the sitcom Community, as a parody-cum-homage of Doctor Who.