Задание

Read the text and headline the paragraphs:

Pocket money and pester power

There are over 9 million children aged between five and sixteen years old in Britain. Big companies and advertisers know that this consumer group is very powerful. The total spending power of children in this age group is over sixty million pounds per year! So, how do they get so much money? How do they persuade their parents to spend so much money on things for them? Weekly pocket money or a monthly allowance is one way for children to get some money to spend. The other way is by asking again and again, in other words, by pestering their parents until the parents buy what they want.

Parents give 60% of pocket money.

Other sources of money are:

a. Odd job earnings (helping with chores around the house for money, a paper round delivering newspapers to houses in their area, cleaning Dad’s car, babysitting)

b. Handouts (presents of money from friends or relatives)

c. Saturday jobs (over 13 years old some teenagers work on Saturdays e.g. in clothes or music shops, supermarkets, sports centres)

Average amount of pocket money = £6.50 a week

Girls total amount spent = £15.20 a week

Boys total amount spent = £12.20 a week

Two-thirds of pocket money is spent on sweets and chocolate.

Girls also buy: clothes, shoes, magazines and make-up (cosmetics/toiletries)

Boys buy: more food and drink, computer games, videos and CDs.

Recently teenagers are spending more on mobile phone cards than on sweets Girls spend 50% more on mobile phones than boys Pester power is increasing every year. Children as young as three years old pester their parents to buy the latest videos, sweets and toys.

Sources of income

Amount of money

Spending trends