Commercial Childhood

Research Focus

This lab examines how commercial forces shape children’s media environments and everyday lives. We study the role of advertising and marketing communications, including influencer marketing, branded content, and packaging, as socialization agents. Our work explores how these practices create both opportunities and vulnerabilities for children, aiming to inform ethical guidelines and policies that foster agency and well-being. 

Related projects 

• KIDFLUENCER project: Towards a Kid-Centric, Dynamic and Hybrid Theory of Consumer Socialization to Understand the Dynamics and Implications of the Kidfluencer Phenomenon
• Mag dit online?
• SUNRISE
• How being a responsible parent is challenging: An inquiry on the role of delay discounting in how parents resist child-targeted product packaging — Bram Uyttenhove
• Decoding Reverse Socialization: Exploring intergenerational Knowledge Transfer in Family Consumption is de titel die we laatst besproken hadden — Bo Dhondt

Lab Head

Liselot Hudders

Contact: Liselot.Hudders@UGent.be