Marketers and Teen Spending

Now that I have grandkids entering their teenage years, I’ve got a front-row seat to see what’s popular among kids, especially when it comes to shopping and spending money. In today’s world, the top categories for teen spending are clothing and other accessories, food and snacks, entertainment and gaming, and experiences with friends, like concerts and other outings. Marketing’s push for the maintenance of youthful beauty has our girls spending lots of money on make-up, hair care, and skin care. But don’t count out our boys in this last category! Young Gen Z males are spending an average of three-hundred-twenty-four dollars a year on cosmetics, skin care, and fragrances. Because marketing effectively convinces our kids to spend, spend, and spend some more, we need to ramp up our efforts to teach biblical principles on stewardship. In First Timothy six seventeen, we are reminded to not put our hope in wealth, but to put our hope in God. Teach your kids to spend wisely.