The voice of youth

Youth research has come under attack. But, argues Stephen Mellor, both companies and kids can benefit – providing the work is done right

Earlier this year, the government's consumer watchdog Ed Mayo published a book criticising the 'insidious and downright creepy' way some online marketers use children to research and sell new products. The book, Consumer Kids, caused a stir in the national media and led to calls for a debate on the rights and wrongs of youth research and marketing. Here, Harris Interactive's Stephen Mellor sets out the case for youth research – and why it's not just companies that benefit.


As a research practitioner I've been involved in researching children for over 10 years. At the start of my career, E-numbers in children's food was a common issue that concerned consumers, and during the early 2000s KGOY – or, kids growing older younger – became the hot topic. Then pester power emerged, which was followed by obesity, and with Ed Mayo's new book the debate about the use of children in research and marketing is back in the spotlight. 


The question that Mayo raises in the book is what is acceptable to parents and society in general. Dubit, a youth research agency name-checked in Consumer Kids, has called for a national debate on how the marketing industry can work to the highest standards when communicating with youth. 


There are many responsible companies that run research directly with children under 16 with the consent of parents, schools and the children themselves, and only a tiny number of cases where children have been interviewed without the proper consent being given. 

Another area of concern is research in schools. Schools will generally agree to many initiatives because they are so chronically underfunded. In my view private companies provide a financial aid for schools where the government is seen to be lacking. So long as market research does not affect class time I feel it is an acceptable route.


Market research has been involved with schools for quite some time and I know of at least four other organisations that use schools for research. At Harris Interactive this is used selectively and only for a particular methodology called Brainwaves, a participatory method of research using technology in the classroom to enable children to brainstorm. This is done out of school time and with the full consent of teachers and parents. 


But in joining the public debate and considering how research organisations should approach research with children, it is important to take a step back from my professional role and put my parent hat on. My son is often targeted by advertising and is an emerging user of the internet. 


• How do I feel about my son being on a kids' panel?
It depends on the nature of the panel – what it seeks to measure, achieve and understand about kids. It also depends on what it asks of kids in terms of time and commitment. I don't want him to spend too much time devoting his life to the cause, creating a dent in homework and playtime. I'd be happy if he were spending up to an hour a month – 15 minutes a week feels right.


• How do I feel confident about him taking part in research?
I want to be completely reassured about the nature and length of the survey. This means that carefully getting my consent is important. Some agencies use a triple opt-in methodology where parents opt in twice for themselves and then again for their child each time a survey invitation is sent. The problem for agencies is that this can take time and be expensive.


We have pioneered a technique that streamlines the parental consent process, verifying parental consent in real time, making it more reliable and time-efficient. The timescales are almost comparable with normal adult-oriented surveys and the parental consent rate is running at 70% in Europe. 


This means each time a survey is sent to my child I am alerted in detail to the survey content and can view the survey, and if I am happy encourage my child to proceed. 


An alternative is to get parental consent verified for a 'range of survey topics' and in doing so avoid verifying parental consent each time a survey is run. The weakness here is that parents may have given consent quite some time ago and may feel differently about it nowadays, or perhaps they may have changed their opinion about certain topics. I think it's important to ensure verified parental consent is as up to date as possible.


• What about the rewards? Are incentives a good idea?
In my experience children feel disappointed when invited to do a survey with the promise of incentives only to find they don't qualify. Furthermore some incentives are earned over the course of a number of surveys and children become disappointed if they aren't rewarded immediately.


Some agencies use a 'family incentive' model whereby the parent receives the incentive as normal on behalf of the surveys their children complete, meaning there is less emphasis on children trying to earn the incentive. The incentives earned are based around leisure activates that the whole family can enjoy. 


This means great emphasis is placed on engagement and response. One method is to send out the survey on a Friday evening for children to fill out on Saturday or, even better, on a Sunday. Children are often tired and hungry after school and find it hard to concentrate on their homework and I think parents are more inclined to share surveys at the weekend. 


• Are kids benefiting in any other way?
In terms of getting the most out of the experience, for children under the age of 11 I would encourage the parent to complete the survey with them. This is often essential to ensure the survey is interpreted correctly, but I think time spent completing the survey is a valuable experience where parents can learn about their children's attitudes and opinions, creating closer ties and benefiting the relationship.


Some agencies also promote the fact they are giving children the opportunity to have their voice heard and to make a difference to the way companies are run. This is a great way to empower kids and I like the idea that my offspring are able to feel that they are influencing companies in such a way.


Do you agree with Stephen? Email news@researchmagazine.co.uk with your views on the youth research debate.

March | 2009