Abstract
The ethics of marketing to children is a hotly debated subject which tends to focus on children’s progressive cognitive ability to understand either the persuasive intent of commercial advertising or the symbolism inherent in brands. The role which consumption culture in general plays in the moral development of children has received less attention. This paper considers how the commercial world contributes to the construction of role models and cultural icons, and the ways in which children might draw on such constructions in developing their own moral discourse(s). Just as a cognitive development approach to understanding how children relate to advertising and brand symbolism is limited, so too are philosophical approaches narrowly equating moral development with cognitive development. We draw on perspectives which consider the social and cultural context of moral evolution to frame a qualitative study of children’s relationships with brands, in the widest sense of the word. We focus on the part played by celebrity soccer player David Beckham in providing children with a means of debating and negotiating the moral ambiguities and complexities of contemporary consumer culture. Our findings show celebrities can provide ‘socio-cultural tools’ with which children can participate in nuanced and meaningful moral debate; and point to the moral responsibility of adults as direct and indirect shapers of the wide range of commercial influences and hegemonic discourses with which children are presented in specific socio-cultural contexts. // Keywords: Celebrity, children, commercial influences, consumption culture, moral development, moral discourse, moral education