Do you buy it? - the latest education and information campaign of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection targeted at children and teenagers

‘Annoying but popular’ - said young consumers about advertisements in the survey taken by the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS) at the request of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK). Although nearly one third of teenagers never check marketing communications, as many as 70% declare that they know which information given in advertisements is false

Over 80% of teenagers claim that commercials are not honest, because things appear in them better than they really are, and that there are too many advertisements. One in six young consumers is annoyed with marketing communications. However, a vast majority of teenagers do like advertised branded products, and are influenced by a popular trade name when they choose a product. Six in ten respondents have admitted that they like advertisements and talk about them with the peers. The survey conducted for the purposes of UOKiK information and education campaign, My consumer ABC, suggests that teenagers rarely check the information found in the ads. One in three (28%) young consumers obtains his or her knowledge on products solely form marketing communications, admitting explicitly that he or she never verifies the information included in the advertisements.

Research shows that teenagers often go shopping. One in five respondents receives money from parents and purchases every day, while 28% do this on average three to four times a week. Out of nearly three thousand pupils participating in the survey, 70% assist, at least once a week, adults’s shopping. The same percentage of young consumers are asked for advice on expensive goods. This shows that children and teenagers have influence on many family purchases.

The fact that teenagers often go shopping on their own or with their parents does not make shop assistants treat them as equal market players. Half of them admit that shop assistants treat them with disdain. One in two young consumers has bought a defective or law-quality product. Moreover one fourth of them have happened to buy a product they did not really want but, persuaded by a shop assistant, they could not refuse.

Another conclusion from the survey is that teenagers hardly know both their rights and the obligations of the seller. The majority of respondents (53%) are convinced that shops may place the information: ‘Once you exit, complaints will not be considered’, which infringes on the law. Over two fifths of respondents are convinced that a shop may restrict the right to complain about a product bought on discount offer, which is also against the legal provisions in force.

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection would like the activities carried out as part of the information and education campaign My consumer ABC to develop the young consumers’ awareness of rights they are entitled to, as well as to motivate teenagers to be more critical about the market offer. and marketing tools Therefore, it is important that the youngest get used to the fact that the mark of the product is, first of all, the information provided on its package (such as ingredients, best-before date, weight, basic data on usage).

Further information on the activities carried out as part of this campaign, as well as on the rights of children and teenagers are available at www.konsumenckieabc.pl

The campaign My consumer ABC is financed by the European Union and of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

Additional information:
Elżbieta Anders, Spokesperson of UOKiK
Department of International Relations and Communication
Office of Competition and Consumer Protection
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Phone 22 827 28 92, 55 60 106, 55 60 314
E-mail: [SCODE]ZWFuZGVyc0B1b2tpay5nb3YucGw=[ECODE]