Sold Childhood: How Children’s Wishes Are Marketed and What Parents Can Do About It

A conversation with Sarvenas Enayati and Jasmin Ettehadieh

In Episode 2 of our podcast “Truly Rich”, we discussed key topics such as financial awareness, lifestyle influences, consumer pressure, and long-term decisions in everyday family life. 

If the content of this article resonates with you, we warmly invite you to listen to our podcast. 

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Sarvenas Enayati: Today we are talking about Sold Childhood: How Children’s Wishes Are Marketed and What Parents Can Do About It, an insightful book by German journalist and author Susanne Gaschke. It looks at how consumer culture and advertising reach children, for example through media, toys, and also through environments connected to school.

Jasmin Ettehadieh: The book is particularly helpful because it stays close to everyday life. It does not start with extreme examples, but with typical situations. A child says, “Everyone has that” or “I saw it online,” and suddenly the family is not only negotiating a purchase, but also a sense of belonging. Because often, behind the wish for a product is the child’s need to feel like they belong.

What is the book really about?

Sarvenas: If someone has not heard of this book, what is it really about in one sentence?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: It is about how children’s wishes are influenced and shaped by advertising, and how families can respond with clarity instead of constant pressure.  

Sarvenas: So, it is not only about advertising in the classic sense?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: The book shows how certain toys can limit children’s creativity. One example is building blocks and figures that are no longer designed in a neutral way, but are often printed with specific themes. The more neutral the toys are, the more room there is for children’s imagination. If building blocks, for instance, are printed with firefighter themes or doctor figures, it becomes harder for children to use these figures for other professions. This creates a cycle in which children have to buy more and more figures and blocks in order to bring their play ideas to life.

The toy industry expresses concerns that children’s imagination is declining. They argue that without printed heroes from TV series, children no longer know how to play with the toys.

It is important to note that advertising does not appear only in the form of clearly identifiable ads. It can also be present in entertainment, in trends, through branded content, and in everyday life. For example, a child may feel that they need the same brands or toys as their friends in order to belong. 

Where does advertising reach children today? 

Sarvenas: The subtitle of the bok says “How children’s wishes are marketed.” Where does this happen most in the book?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: The book covers several everyday spaces. One is toys and the constant cycle of “newness.” Another is screens, where the line between entertainment and advertising can blur. And a third is education-related environments, where sponsorships and branded materials can appear in ways parents do not always expect.  

Sarvenas: It sounds broad.

Jasmin Ettehadieh: It is. Even the table of contents shows how wide the lens is, with sections about toys, media, and schools, including a chapter framing school as an “ad-free zone” and another about how advertisers approach schools.  

“Normal” shifts quickly, especially with kids

Sarvenas: It is interesting how much the understanding of what is “normal” to possess is shifting. What used to be considered special is now standard. It is often a chain of decisions that we make in everyday life. How do you see it?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: This is one of the most practical insights. Families often do not make one big decision that increases spending. Instead, standards shift gradually. A class group chat, a birthday trend, a new game, a hyped shoe at school, and suddenly it feels like everyone is joining in.

The author, Gaschke, describes how children are seen by some industries as ideal customers. At the same time, parents can feel pressure not to seem strict, old-fashioned, or “out of touch.” This can lead to ongoing negotiations with children in the background of everyday life.

Sarvenas: And that negotiation costs time and energy, not only money.

Jasmin Ettehadieh: Exactly. The book is about attention as much as it is about consumption.

Schools and “the hidden curriculum” of brands

Sarvenas: The school angle is sensitive. What does the book suggest there?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: It raises the question of what we want school to be. In the table of contents, you can see sections that point directly to this issue, including how advertisers approach schools and how sponsorship shows up. A review summary also points to the book discussing increasingly aggressive sales strategies aimed at children, including from toy makers and software-related industries. 

Sarvenas: What can you realistically do as a parent to protect your children from this consumer pressure?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: Start with making it visible. Ask simple questions: What is being advertised, and why is it here? If something is presented as “educational,” you can still ask who benefits from it. It’s not about becoming worried, but about staying informed and having lots of conversations together with your children.

Social media, product placement, and the pressure to “keep up”

Sarvenas: Do you feel this has become even stronger in the age of social media, where lifestyle is constantly being sold to us?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: Yes, and that is where the book still feels relevant today. Even if parts of the media landscape have changed since 2011, the underlying mechanism is familiar: marketing connects products to identity and belonging.

On social media, this often happens through content that looks like everyday life, not advertising. A reel about a “morning routine” includes a specific blender. A school-lunch video features a branded snack. A family travel post quietly highlights a hotel or product. This kind of product placement can be subtle, especially when the message is wrapped in inspiration and “this is how we live.”

As parents, this shows up in very everyday moments. You want your child to belong. You want to be “good parents.” At the same time, you want to keep an eye on the household budget and manage day-to-day life. The pressure is not always loud. Sometimes it is just the quiet message that you are falling behind.

What parents can do without turning life into a fight

Sarvenas: The subtitle includes “what parents can do.” Does the book offer practical steps?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: The book is more reflective than didactic, but it does offer practical starting points. In later sections, it focuses on reclaiming childhood, reducing constant nagging, and simplifying routines, for example by reducing screen stimuli.

In everyday language, the approach can look like this:

• Create a family rule for requests, such as “We write it down and review it later.”
• Separating needs from wants without putting the child in an awkward position.
• Reduce impulse exposure where possible, especially when it causes repeated conflict.
• Build a habit of planning purchases, so “no” is not the only tool.

Sarvenas: The last point is important. Planning turns potential conflicts into a process of reflecting, discussing, and taking action together.

Jasmin Ettehadieh: Yes, choosing to reflect together as a family, discuss together, and act together, instead of forming separate interest groups, is a process. But in the long run, it makes living together more harmonious.

Why this topic often lands with women

Sarvenas: Why do you think this book resonates with women in particular?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: In many families, women carry a large share of daily decisions, including shopping, school coordination, and managing routines. When marketing pressure increases, the mental load often increases too. This book gives language for what many people feel: the pressure is not random. It is designed.

It can also support money conversations at home, not in a heavy way, but in a practical way. For example, children can learn that budgets are not punishment. Budgets are priorities.

Quick reflection prompts for readers

Sarvenas: If someone wants to start small, what are good questions to ask?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: Here are a few:

• Which requests repeat most often, and where do they come from?
• What does my child think “normal” means right now, and why?
• Which boundaries protect our time and attention, not only our wallet?
• What is one routine we can simplify to reduce daily negotiation?
• How can we talk about needs and wants in a way that feels respectful?

Closing thoughts

Sarvenas: What is the most realistic takeaway from the book Sold Childhood?

Jasmin Ettehadieh: Awareness without drama. The book shows that advertising is widespread and often subtle. Parents are not powerless or at the mercy of advertising. We always have personal room to decide how we deal with it and how we support our children through it. But clarity and consistency are important.

You don’t have to remove every brand from your life. It’s more about reducing automatic “yes” decisions that come from pressure, guilt, or comparisons with others, and replacing them with calmer, more conscious, more reflective decisions that fit the family’s values.

That awareness also connects to everyday money decisions. When families are clear on priorities, it becomes easier to plan purchases, keep recurring costs in check, and protect savings goals over time. Small choices may seem minor, but repeated patterns can shape the budget and long-term flexibility.

Sarvenas: That’s a good closing point. Thank you very much, Jasmin Ettehadieh, for the conversation. 

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