IT firms criticised for exploiting schoolchildren

The Consumers' Association has published a report criticising business links with schools. It wants the government to review its promotion of these alliances which, it says, can degenerate into "pure marketing" and do nothing to raise standards in education.

Sponsors of computer equipment were one culprit cited. Authors of the report, Margaret Atherton and Juliet Wells, advise schools to assess whether companies are merely using them to sell products to parents.

The report estimates that parents spend around £8.4bn each year as a result of the "pester power phenomenon". It advises schools to start teaching children to understand marketing and not be taken in by its promises.

For the government's part, the Consumers' Association wants an accreditation system that tests the educational value of different products. It also recommends adoption of the National Consumer Council's 1996 checklist. The guidelines include checking the visibility of a supplier's brand, whether it has been tested for use in schools and whether it is relevant to the curriculum.

The government has not yet responsed to the recommendations.