In the wake of growing concerns about a ‘globesity’ epidemic,
this article explores the panic surrounding sedentary lifestyles and fast food
culture, which have underscored calls for the cultural regulation of
children’s marketing. Avoiding the tired debate between those who see
children as either manipulated or savvy consumers, this article resituates the
controversy over children’s consumerism in the broader context of our
‘risk society’. Based on an approach that sets out to reduce
media as risk factors in socialization, this article provides an overview of a
media-risk education strategy, which acknowledges both the importance of media in
children’s leisure as well as the need to educate young consumers to make
informed choices about their consumer lifestyles. The strategy provides the
framework for a successful media education programme developed and tested in North
Vancouver, which offers a complementary approach to marketing regulation.
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