Bye Buy Childhood

Our kids are growing up believing they are what they own
Mothers' Union believes children should be valued as children, not consumers. However, childhood has become a marketing opportunity worth £99 billion in the UK. Marketers target children's natural inexperience, through methods such as celebrity endorsement, in order to reach not only children's pocket money but also the household purse. These commercial pressures encourage materialism which negatively affects children's wellbeing, family life and peer relationships, and can encourage values that Jesus taught against. The use of sexualised content and the imposition of sexuality on children to market and sell goods is particularly concerning. Families can feel overwhelmed by this commercialisation of childhood and unsure how to challenge powerful marketing initiatives.

In response to this, Mothers' Union has launched a major campaign, Bye Buy Childhood which will:

Raise awareness of the commercialisation of childhood
Empower families to address the influences of the commercial world within the home
Hold the UK Government accountable to its pledge to address the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood; and through Mothers' Union members lobby political representatives in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Mothers' Union has released a report highlighting new research findings, had has produced campaign materials to resource you as you get involved.  A new booklet for families will be launched in 2011, with contributions from parents themselves, which will help families think through the issues and manage the impact of the commercial world within the home.

For further details, please go to our campaign website at www.byebuychildhood.org