KEY POINTS:
They have been labelled "sophistikids" - tweens who would rather grab sushi for lunch or catch up at a local cafe than eat fast food.
New Australian research has identified a growing trend among children aged 8 to 12 years old - tweens - who are embracing a more sophisticated way of life. Aussie tweens described their "perfect day" as eating sushi, drinking a cappuccino and visiting an upmarket chocolate store, according to a study by market research company Heartbeat Trends.
It is a marked difference from the same study conducted six years ago, which found eating at fast food restaurants such as McDonald's and KFC topped the group's wish list.
In New Zealand, Nielsen Panorama research found that 63 per cent of 10 to 12-year-olds liked to dine out.
Girls at Remuera's Corran School confirmed the research, saying that going out for brunch or a nice lunch would definitely be part of their perfect day. "We usually come to cafes... I think that McDonald's is for younger people. As you get older, you start to get out of it," 12-year-old Savannah Phillips-Cron says. "But I never really liked it."
Her classmate Chelsea Gorton, also 12, prefers sushi. "I don't like McDonald's because of the whole fat thing. It has saturated fat, which is bad... It's better to have healthier food."
The girls say they visit cafes with their families or sometimes with friends after seeing a movie. However, they aren't ordering cappuccinos - they prefer an iced chocolate or green tea.
Nine-year-old Victoria Baylis, who also attends Corran School, likes to have an orange juice and maybe a piece of cake when out with her family - and she loves crab sushi.
As for tween boys, the girls say, some of them like going to cafes, but they are "not so worried about eating healthy food," Chelsea says.
However, Spencer Willis, general manager of youth market research company 18 Ltd, says that while it may be nice to think tweens are eating healthy alternatives, it's not necessarily a global change in children's tastes. He says the tween market simply has a greater range of choice available to it now, including foods like sushi.
"By comparison, the level of younger people eating that food is obviously a lot higher than 10 years ago, purely because it is available, not because of social behaviour."
Willis says closer relationships between children and parents also contribute to children trying more adult foods and drinks.
He says children are aspiring to be more like parents in their dress, food and music; and on the flipside, they are teaching their parents how to use cellphones and computer technology.
The girls agree their generation may be a little different from those that came before theirs, with its preference for a more mature lifestyle.
"I just think cafes have changed, and there's a lot more of them and healthy food places now," Savannah says. Willis says tweens have always tried to be older than their years. "If we allow kids to grow up quicker and treat them a little older, they are going to start imitating the older behaviour..."
Tweens facts and figures
There are 183,000 10 to 12-year-olds in NZ and:
* 43 per cent use a mobile phone.
* 23 per cent say they would be lost without their mobile.
* 51 per cent enjoy shopping for clothes and personal items.
* 45 per cent like to keep up with local fashion.
* 63 per cent like dining out.
Nielsen Panorama Research, Feb-Dec 2006
