Children as young as 3 years old recognize brand logos and products, say U.S. researchers. Most studies have suggested children don't have an understanding of brands until age 8 or older.
"Findings like this show us that we need to think about materialism developing in very young children," said lead researcher Anna McAlister, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, MSNBC.com reported.
"We also need to realize that it's not completely 'safe' to leave a 3-year-old alone with a TV set without proper supervision or a parent to help them to understand that they are on the receiving end of targeted advertising," she added.
The study appears in the March issue of the journal Psychology & Marketing.