Through the Mouth of a Child

Kids today have more money, time, and discretion than ever before. In some ways, they’re just like the rest of us were at that tender age—6–11 years is the generally accepted age bracket for kids—but this group has far more buying power than any before it, and they are more independent and absorb more information—and opinion—than any previous generation.

• In 1998, kids spent $25 billion of their own money and influenced another $187 billion, according to Griffin Bacal, a Manhattan-based kid-focu…