Adproofing your kids is a hands-on, practical book that offers parents the tools to alleviate the ‘pestering’ behaviour encouraged by marketers and advertisers.
It also guides parents in helping their children think critically about the media messages that surround them on a daily basis.
Parents themselves, Daniel Donahoo and Tania Andrusiak began researching this book with their own concerns about the effects of media and marketing on young children today – and soon found that these were shared by families all over.
Some worrying issues for parents were:
* ‘My kids want to spend hours in front of the TV. How do I teach them to manage their viewing?’
* ‘Supermarkets push cereals, poppers, chips and chocolate to our kids, and I’ve stopped taking them with me because of the pestering! How do other parents cope?’
* ‘Sexualised images are everywhere! What are my kids learning from them, and how can I help them to question these messages?’
In response to such concerns, this book contains tried-and-true solutions (suitable for children aged from 2 to 12) gleaned from hundreds of parents, educators and psychologists to counter the blatant and hidden manipulation of children by advertisers and popular media.
Advance praise for Adproofing your kids:
‘The sooner this book is available to parents the better. But beware, don’t let the advertisers buy it!’
Professor Karen Malone, Regional Director UNESCO Growing Up Cities Asia-Pacific; Chair, Asia-Pacific Child Friendly Cities Regional Network
‘Protecting our kids is extremely tough when corporations are in the business of employing neuroscientists to discover the best ways to target a child’s unconscious mind. Adproofing Your Kids gives parents timely and important guidance and loads of great practical advice. For anyone who cares about kids, it’s a must-read.’ Julie Gale, Director Kids Free 2B Kids
‘At last, a readable book to support parents in the most difficult job in the world: parenting the media.’ Elizabeth Handsley, Professor of Law; Vice-President, Australian Council on Children and the Media
Review: Bookseller and Publisher, September 2009
‘Something is wrong when push-up bras and g-strings are being sold for pre-pubescent girls, when advertisers aim directly at children and their ‘pester power’, and when babies are watching television. The authors, parents of two boys, are concerned enough to write a clear, well-constructed, easy-to-read book for parents to show them what to do about it. Issues discussed are shopping with children, educating them about advertising, body image, media violence, sexualisation of children, materialism (the ‘gimmes’), television and the internet.
‘Among other excellent aspects of this book, the authors (who have worked in advertising, journalism and child and family policy) show how time, creativity and imagination are vital when it comes to parents helping their children work through the good and not-so-good aspects of consumer life. They provide thought-provoking scenarios for each issue, such as shopping expeditions, and suggest ideas for involving children in decision-making. This immensely useful introductory manual was born when a friend’s daughter, lamenting that advertisers were suggesting there was something wrong with her their product could improve, asked “Aren’t kids good enough just as we are?” A call to action!’ Sue Bond is a writer, reviewer and former bookseller.
Review published in Bookseller and Publisher, September 2009 issue, Vol 89, no. 2. Visit Bookseller and Publisher’s website at http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au Reproduced with kind permission.
