The Iranian Parents’ Criteria for Purchasing Toys for Their Children: A Case Study of Tehran City

As of year 2011, the population of children under 4 years in Iran was 6232052, or 8.29% of total population. Today, 95% of toys used by this population are imported from China. while the mean of per capita is 34$ in the world, the mean of per capita is 5$ in Iran. In 1998, 30 million toys had entered to Iran, of which, less than 5% had been found incompatible with local standards and had been returned to their manufacturing country. This paper presents the results of an empirical study that aims to determine the purchase & choice criteria of toys in the capital city of Iran, Tehran, and to determine it's possible effects on the types of games the children play with them. The data was collected by questioning 54 toy sellers in 1 and 6 suburbs of Tehran. The results indicate that even though the parents know about the importance of choosing the right toy for their children, they take into account additional factors such as the price and the kids desire for specific toys on the point of purchase. Putting such criteria into account results in the purchase of inappropriate toys for the children that can affect their playing habits and growth in unwanted ways

کلیدواژه ها:

Children ، Toy ، Play ، Purchase Criteria