Getting Older Younger: Developmental Differences in Children and the Challenge of Developmental Compression Available to Purchase

Successful marketing to children not only requires an understanding of how kids are different from each other, but also how those differences are changing. This paper examines the developmental differences in children and the phenomenon of developmental compression — the recent contraction of age‐specific psychological stages — as well as their implications for conducting market research with children. It offers evidence of developmental compression and discusses such contributing factors as the media, new parenting styles, complex family life, and the changing nature of children's activities, brand awareness, and purchase power. The paper argues that the core challenge of this phenomenon is that, while children may be manifesting more grown‐up behaviour in certain domains, their cognitive, physical and emotional compression may not be happening in sync with one another. Thus, while children may appear to be sophisticated consumers, they are not always able to understand the marketing messages directed at them or the implications of their purchase decisions.