Tweens and Teens are the main generations that are always changing. What it means to be a child has changed dramatically. Until technology started to develop and become readily avaliable, children would go out to the park, make mud pies and find bugs and worms facinating. These days, children are always watching television or on the computer, taking a walk seems like so much to them. Everything about kids have changed, books written for them, tv shows, even the way they are treated has changed. 
There are many factors which may have lead to this are mainly to do with the family structure. Having divorced parents means that children end up with more family to spoil them, more presents and attention. This may also give them older siblings for them to look up to, and as they would proberbly be into older things, the little ones would want to be like them and copy them. Also, parents are now having children later in their life. This could affect the way the children are brought up as parents may feel guilty for the children for having old parents and give them too many treats and let them get away with anything as a result. Mintel's reaseach shows that the number of children saying that mummy and daddy give them anything they want is increasing throught the social classes. The poorer classes are shwon to give their kids more then the classes A and B.
What adverts go on the television and in magazines has to be wary of children. The Advertising Standards Authroity (ASA) states that ad's must not take advantage of children, in their inexperience of life or vunerability. Toy adverts must contain some sort of price inidcation, food adverts should be aimed at the parents instead of the children, especially if it is unhealthy food as they promote an unhealthy lifestyle for the kids. Prices and promotional offers should not affect smaller children, nursery or begining of school. Also, adverts should not cause any harm to children, mental or physical, or promote any type of bullying in any way.
This is the type of advert that the ASA approves of as it does not contain anything which would harm children or go against their rules.
Digital marketing is becoming the biggest problem when it comes to children. Digital marketing is becoming harder to police, as not everything that is marketed digitally can be looked at before it goes on. ASA has been looking into the problem for 2 years now and so far have not come to a solution. Even politicans have become involved. David Cameron has spoke out saying that marketers and advertisers need to show more restraint in the way they operate when it comes to children.
Kids represent a huge demographic to marketers, due to the ability they have to persuade their parents to buy something they want rather then what the parents themselves want. Parents are more willing to buy things for their children as family sizes have shrunk and that older parents have more disposable income so they can lavish presents on their kids whenever they feel like. Pester Power also plays a role within marketing. According to Barbara Martino they are 'relying on the kids to pester their parents rather then going straight to the parents themselves.' Research has proven that this method works better as kids are able to get their parents to buy these products more then if they did not pester their parents.
School playgrounds are also a great way for marketers to get kids to buy their products. Although peer pressure may not affect the children greatly until later on in life, this doesn't mean that it does not affect them at all when they are younger. Kids are easily swayed by other children in their behaviour, so this also affects what they want. If a child see's another child with something and they're all showing off with it, it may make the child without it want whatever it is that that child has. This would make the child use pester power to get the product from their parents. When it comes to this, marketing is particularly aimed at kids for this reason.
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