ABSTRACT
Marketing messages related to critical aspects of development such as body image, gender identity, and health are disseminated across a growing number of media platforms, placing children at risk for falling prey to deceptive messages. What is concerning is that potentially misleading marketing messages are what children use to gauge self-worth, a key ingredient to their happiness and well-being. How one can help children navigate an increasingly complex media landscape? Nurture self-esteem. Foster a grateful disposition. Teach prospection. Encourage free play and failure. And be involved and model desired behavior. Material possessions are imbued with symbolic value, making them well suited for self-enhancement purposes. Engaging in risky behaviors can also be a result of an attempt to self-enhance. Therefore, it is critical that adults nurture a healthy self-esteem in children. Adults should encourage children to be grateful at an early age to buffer against overconsumption.
