1ER CONGRESO DE COMUNICACIÓN INFANTIL

The turn of the sixties decade introduced a period of great change which saw young people became a part of society, likewise the beginning of the century is witnessing the emergence of children and pre-teens, between 4 and 12, into the social and economic scenario. Their role has taken a significant leap forward over the last ten years due to their prescription capacity and consumer level. Another reason is that their parents acquire a great number of products that go from breakfast cereal to automobiles, surpassing the previous size of the toy market. Moreover, children and pre-teens become the target of the commercial efforts made by the new entertainment industry because of their capacity to project patterns and social references to the rest of the society. Movies, television channels, tablets, smart phones video games and digital applications... all of which play a significant economic role. Consequently, both the merchandising of products and services and the publicity are paying a special attention to the children’s and youth audience. At the very time when these techniques are exploring new ways to reach the public. All these together lead to a scenario of great interest for the communication researchers, which we believe to be neglected from a scientific point of view. Matters such as the efficiency of persuasive communication within this field, its social, psychological and educational consequences, the debate about ethical questions or the efficiency of legislative measures have been poorly studied and deserve a more comprehensive and deep reflexion. Each one of these topics are, for different reasons, of great interest for social communication researchers, sociologists, psychologists, experts on marketing and publicity, parents and educators among others. The first International Congress of Children’s Communication aims to open a scientific debate for all of them, so they are given the opportunity to contrast their ideas and be able to offer a more extensive and comprehensive picture of this new social reality.