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This paper investigates (1) whether the physical attractiveness stereotype applies to children, (2) whether children's self-perception is influenced by the attractiveness of an advertising model, (3) whether children's attitudes towards an ad and buying intentions for a non-beauty related product are influenced by the attractiveness of an advertising model, and (4) whether age affects (1), (2) and (3). Results of two experimental studies with respectively 8-9 year old (N = 75) and 12-13 year old (N = 57) girls and boys confirm the presence of the physical attractiveness stereotype in children. The presence of a moderately attractive (versus less attractive) model has a negative influence on general self-worth for 8-9 year old boys, but not for girls, nor for 12-13 year old children. Exposure to a moderately attractive (versus less attractive) model also has a positive influence on perceived physical appearance of 8-9 year old girls, but this effect does not occur for boys, nor for 12-13 year olds. The studies also show that moderately attractive (versus less attractive) models increase attitudes and buying intentions for 8-9 year olds, but not for 12-13 year old boys and girls.

Van de Sompel, D. and Vermeir, I. (2016). The influence of source attractiveness on self-perception and advertising effectiveness for 6-to 7-year-old children. AbstractThe objective of this article is to examine the effects of using attractive peer models in advertising for 6-7 year old children. This age is important in children's development, as children of that age are not yet fully aware of the persuasive intent of advertising, are more focused on perceptual than on cognitive information in ads and are more focused on irrelevant rather than relevant ad information. More insights are therefore needed about whether attractive advertising models influence self-perception and advertising effectiveness of children this young, in order to help policy makers, parents and advertisers understand these effects. Two experimental studies are presented in which children are exposed to ads with peer models. Results show that when children of 6-to 7-year-old rate advertising models as being more attractive, advertising effectiveness raises, but children's perceived self-worth and children's perceived physical attractiveness are unaffected. We conclude that 6-to 7-year-old children use model attractiveness as a perceptual cue to rate ads but are not yet using comparisons with these models to evaluate themselves.

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Children’s personal data are often collected for commercial aims. Although regulations in different countries aim to protect children’s privacy (e.g., by imposing websites to request parental consent for the processing of children’s data for commercial purposes), concerns about protecting children’s online data continue to rise. This article therefore aims to get insights into parents’ and children’s privacy coping strategies and perceptions underlying these strategies. In-depth interviews with ten parents and nine children (8–11 years) were conducted. Findings show that although children engaged in avoidance (e.g., leaving the particular website) and confrontation (e.g., seeking support) strategies, they mainly did this to protect their privacy from malicious individuals—and not from commercial parties. Participating children also lacked general knowledge about both explicit and implicit data practices. To protect their children’s privacy, parents in this study mainly adopted restrictive mediation strategies, but lacked the knowledge to undertake concrete actions in the case of implicit data collection. Implications for policymakers are discussed.

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