Lost in choice? The limits of domestic food socialization in children's eating-out decisions

Abstract

Children's healthy dietary behaviors have long been a concern in the hospitality industry, yet most initiatives target parents or caregivers rather than treating children as independent consumers. As children gain greater influence in family decision-making, disregarding their agency risks misaligning industry practices with their actual behaviors. Grounded in the consumer socialization framework, this study created a natural dining environment granting children full autonomy to make food choices. Using a mixed-methods convergent parallel design, findings show that age does not necessarily enhance children's knowledge or perceived importance of healthy food. Instead, parents, schools, and media play pivotal roles, with family communication patterns exerting distinct effects. A cognitive–behavioral discontinuity also emerged: greater knowledge and perceived importance did not translate into healthier eating-out behaviors. These results caution against overestimating children's consumer socialization based on cognitive outcomes alone, underscoring the need for more careful interpretation of their decision-making rationales in restaurant contexts.