This is practice discussing a message, not a test that proves a child can identify every advertisement or shop online independently. Adults remain responsible for access, spending and any decision to use a service.
Choose an example you can pause
Use a suitable printed ad already at hand or write a clearly labeled fictional one. Avoid beginning with a live feed that keeps changing while you talk. If the ad includes something confusing or unsuitable, choose another example instead of clicking through to investigate it with your child.
The Federal Trade Commission's Admongo lessons organize ad discussion around responsibility for the message, its meaning and its intended action. The FTC also explains that advertising can be blended into entertainment in ways children may not recognize. These sources support discussing ads with adult help; they do not establish that this short exercise prevents misleading purchases.
Admongo lesson plans, FTC · Blurred ads and kids and teens, FTC
Separate the message from your own decision
Start with what is actually visible. Ask your child to point to the name on the example, read or describe one claim, and show any request to buy, visit, download or sign up. Read aloud if needed. If the person behind the message is unclear, write “not sure” rather than guessing.
Then separate what the message says from what the family knows. “The ad calls it amazing” and “we have checked whether it meets our needs” are different statements. You do not need to decide whether the item is good or bad to notice that difference.
An ad label is useful information, but finding a label is not a guarantee that everything in the message is accurate. Equally, a missing label is not proof that a message is independent advice. Uncertainty is a reason to ask an adult, not an invitation to investigate unfamiliar links alone.
Try a fictional poster together
Write “ADVERTISEMENT: Star Pencil Shop says its bright pencils make every drawing exciting. Visit our store today.” This is an invented shop and message, not a real recommendation or a claim about pencils.
An adult might ask, “Who wants us to read this?” The child points to the shop name. “What are they telling us?” The child notices the bright pencils. “What action do they want?” The child finds the request to visit.
Then ask, “Do we have to visit because a poster asks us to?” The answer can be no. The family can finish the discussion without buying anything or promising a later purchase.
Keep a question without chasing the answer online
Use a short note with three entries:
- Message I noticed: one statement from the example.
- Action it asks for: what the viewer is invited to do.
- Question for an adult: something the example does not explain clearly.
This note is an original household prompt, not an FTC worksheet. Leave out names, account details and payment information. If your child wants the advertised item, record the request separately from any agreement to buy it.
End when you have discussed one example or when your child wants to stop. For a separate conversation about the job a purchase would do, try needs and wants. For comparing already adult-approved choices within an agreed amount, see a small spending limit. Neither step requires following the ad.