Consumer education
Under consumer education refers to an education, the aim of which is to enable a person to judge how much consumption is necessary, proportionate and feasible. Above all, it plays an important role in the upbringing of children and young people, as their personality traits have yet to be developed. Consumer education is a prerequisite for people to be able to act independently in the so-called consumer society .
Problem
The consumer goods industry is increasingly discovering children and young people as solvent customers. She tries to attract this group of people through increasingly sophisticated advertising methods, especially on television and the Internet . These create the illusion of a need for different products in children and young people . In addition, through various group dynamics, advertising can lead to a strong orientation towards brands and certain products. This type of consumption, in which the goal is not self-sufficiency but the recognition of others, is called validity consumption . According to the study “Youth Consumption in 21”, 28% of young people show such a behavior pattern. This also leads to financial problems for the young people, which usually end in debt .
possible solutions
Consumer education tries to counteract this problem. The beginning of the educational method plays a decisive role. It can often be observed in two or three year old children that out of curiosity they look at everything and that they want what they see. Here, consumer education should be used for the first time by parents as primary caregivers .
An important approach to consumer education is to engage with the children instead of confronting them with television. For working parents, day care centers with all-day care are therefore an important point of contact. Showing the children that it is not only material values that count makes a significant contribution to ensuring that their upbringing is successful. Nevertheless, one should deal with the wishes of the children and fulfill some of their wishes.
literature
- Susanne Gaschke: The sold childhood. How children's wishes are marketed and what parents can do about it. Pantheon 2011
- Study: Youth Consumption in the 21st Century. ISBN 978-3-8100-3941-5