Understanding the Motivations Behind Clothing Consumption Among Pre-Teen Children

Pre-teen children define a valuable and vulnerable segment of modern clothing consumers, intensified by their prevalent social media engagement. According to a 2022 study on pre-teen social media engagement (8 to 12-year-olds), social identity and self-identity are prevailing dimensions that motivate pre-teen activity on social media. (Lichy, McLeay, Burdfield, & Matthias, 2022). As a pre-teen’s attachment to connectivity through social media increases, the child views their peers and online influencers as reputable sources for consumption decisions, often correlating “popularity” to “practicality.” This research paper aims to understand that while pre-teen children have more access to clothing brand information, they may be unable to process the onslaught of available information to create long-term healthy buying habits. Using a literature review method, this paper explores the motivations behind pre-teen clothing consumption to provide practical methods of teaching pre-teen children to be responsible consumers while navigating social media. I examined literature depicting clothing consumption among pre-teen children in relation to social media engagement, provided an analysis of the motivation behind clothing consumption, and constructed a conclusion based on the findings. The results and implications of the literature review will be discussed.