Consumer Socialization

Consumer socialization is commonly defined as the processes by which children acquire the skills, knowledge, and ways of being that allow them to participate in consumer culture. The term and its definition were first credited to Scott Ward. It is an aspect of children’s lives that first attracted attention from researchers during the 1950s and generated increased research activity during the 1970s. Deborah Roedder John explains that the emergence of this field of research was informed by concern about the possible detrimental effects of advertising on children. This entry examines the history of children as consumers, factors that influence child consumer practices, and the specific influence of digital media on children’s consumer socialization since the 1990s.