Children as vulnerable consumers: a first conceptualisation

Spotswood, Fiona; Nairn, Agnes

Abstract

© 2015 Westburn Publishers Ltd. Understandings of consumer vulnerability remain contentious and despite recent developments, models remain unsuitable when applied to children. Taxonomic models, and those favouring a ‘state’- or ‘class’-based approach have been replaced by those attempting to tackle both individual and structural antecedents. However, these are still overly individualistic and fail to progress from an artificial view that these dimensions work separately and independently. In contrast, the new sociology of childhood conceptualises childhood as a hybridised, fluid combination of structure and agency. This paper introduces this approach, new to the consumer vulnerability field, and proposes that it has considerable implications for the way that children’s consumer vulnerability is theorised and researched, and for the formulation of policy.

Citation

Spotswood, F., & Nairn, A. (2016). Children as vulnerable consumers: a first conceptualisation. Journal of Marketing Management, 32(3-4), 211-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2015.1107616

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 25, 2015
• Publication Date: Feb 12, 2016
• Deposit Date: Aug 18, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: May 17, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Marketing Management
• Print ISSN: 0267-257X
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-1376
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 3-4
• Pages: 211-229
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2015.1107616
• Keywords: vulnerable consumers, children
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/914529
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2015.1107616