IELTS Speaking for Success - 🧩 Children, Toys, and Advertising (Part 3) + Transcript

Episode Date: February 2, 2026

Get access to our episode archive: https://www.patreon.com/ieltssfs What are the advantages and disadvantages of modern toys? What's the difference between the toys boys play with and girls play with? Do you think parents should buy more toys for their kids or spend more time with them? What's the difference between the toys kids play now and those they played in the past? Should advertising aimed at kids be prohibited? How do advertisements influence children? Tune in and have a great day! - Book a class with Rory here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://successwithielts.com/rory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our course on Phrasal Verbs: https://successwithielts.com/podcourses Transcript: https://linktr.ee/sfspremium Find an IELTS Speaking Partner: https://links.successwithielts.com/ieltspartner Our social media: https://linktr.ee/successwithielts © 2025 Podcourses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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What an interesting topic. Dear listener, no, not for you. Well, okay. Rory is a super expert on toys. Well, not far off. When I worked in a creative design department a few years ago, we had to make toys for kids. I did not design the toys or make them myself. I contributed material, and there were other more talented people doing that.

But I did notice some things. At least I picked up a few things. Let's talk about toys. What are the advantages and disadvantages of modern toys? I honestly don't know. I'm not exactly o'fay with the ins and outs of product design these days. But at a guess, I suppose they might be more interactive with all the technology integrated into them, which could make them more fun to play with.

On the other hand, it might make them more expensive as a result. What's the difference between the toys boys play with and girls play with? Well, actually, I remember reading something somewhere that it's less about what they play with and more about how they play with them. So, for example, girls are generally more likely to play with dolls in a cooperative play, like playing house, while boys tend to engage in more competitive or mock-aggressive play with their versions of dolls.

You could probably best see that in the difference between things like Barbie and Action Man. Do you think parents should buy more toys for their kids or spend more time with them? Oh, I'm definitely of the firm belief that parents need to spend more time with their kids. It helps them to socialize and build secure bonds and replaces, or sorry, not replaces, reduces. reduces mental and physical issues. If you outsource that to inanimate objects, then I suppose it's less effective or even completely ineffectual. Not only that, but it could also even be harmful to the development of children.

What's the difference between the toys kids play with now and those they played with in the past? Well, broadly speaking, they seem to be more complex, not only in terms of the tech incorporated into them, but also when it comes to the materials they're made from, and they'd have to be with all the electronics embedded in them and all the developments and materials, at least a material science in the last century.

All the plastic we have alone is a massive change. Should advertising aim that children be prohibited? I'm tempted to say it should be banned altogether, given how irritating it is, though I'm not sure how feasible that is. I mean, how could you even enforce such a prohibition? It's probably more reasonable to encourage people to be more independently minded and reduce the exposure of kids to stuff like that in general.

But that's something you have to decide personally. I don't think you could convince the authorities to enforce that. How do Adverts influence children? I don't know a great deal about the psychological mechanism behind it, but I suppose the simple version is that the same way it affects adults, It creates some sort of excitement or fear around having or not having something and how it could make things better or at least appear to make things better. With kids, that could be making the product part of a story

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Yay, thank you very much for your answers, Rory. Right, dear listener, so modern toys. You know, the first toy that pops into my head is Laboubu. How do you pronounce it, Laboubu? Oh my God, yeah. Yes, is this, this creature. How'd you say it, Rory? Labubu?

I think it's Labubu. I don't know. I don't really play with the Labubu. And actually it's a very interesting phenomenon. Like, marketing is amazing and that's a really nice business. Yeah, I'm impressed. Labubu. If you don't know about Labubu, Google, because the whole world seems to be crazy about this toy.

What is going on? I know, but everyone is insane about this toy. is insane about La Buba toys. And you can give it as an example, right? So, like, modern toys, so the world is crazy about La Buba still. I think it was even crazy a couple of months ago, maybe like a year, like a half a year ago. You can say that I'm not an expert about the ins and outs of product design these days. So ins and outs, the details of product design.

Like, I don't know about the design of modern toys, but toys these days might be more interactive, so they speak to children. Or maybe they can do things with them. They are more fun to play with, but they could be more expensive. Also, you can talk about... What could we talk about?

You can talk about technology, so they are more technological, so they have more technology, inside them or you can say that they're more educational modern toys but about materials

for example like many modern toys are made of plastic low quality materials to make them cheaper so that's not good that's one of the disadvantages right and many toys can limit children's

imagination or creativity maybe And many toys are just ugly Do you think so? Which toys are ugly? LaBoubu. Look at us talking about Labubu, that's going to get us traction on the algorithm. From my point of view, I don't know, like, DeLisner, maybe you enjoy the toy and you like it, but... I don't know, for me it's something evil.

It's just so weird. It's just this little monster, it's like, wow. It's just totally crazy for me. But maybe you're okay. Sorry if I hurt your feelings, DeLisner, right? So the difference between boys and girls, you can say that generally, girls are likely to play with dolls. That's the usual story, dear listener, okay?

Very generally. In general, girls tend to play with dolls or are more likely to play with dolls. So probably they will play with dolls while boys, but boys tend to engage in more competitive games, tends to engage in more aggressive play. So cars, tanks, machines, arms. They enjoy war, right? They enjoy competition.

And you can see the difference in toys like Barbie, Barbie for girls and action men, right? But you know, I'm looking at popular toys these days and actually Ligo is still pretty popular. animals from Lego and Star Wars from Lego is like super popular. Also, Play Doe is very popular. So do listen. If you don't know what Play Doe is, just Google it.

It's just the substance that you used to make different things from. It's like, I don't know. Again, Google it. Play Doe. Play and DoH. Doh. Play dough for little ones. And also, you know, like different action figures.

for boys, Spider-Man action figure. We call it action figures, like a figure of Spider-Man, for example. And also, these, you know, toys from famous cartoons are popular. Of, for example, from the cartoon, like Moana. Moana doll sets. So a set of dolls, like, with Moana and the big guy. Maui. Even I know that.

And, you know, like Star Wars action set is still pretty popular. So you can make some examples, right? So for example, like action figures, Moana action figures, Barbie, like Spider-Man figure. Parents need to spend more time with their kids. Yeah. Not presents, but time. Not toys, but time. So parents need to build secure social bonds with children, bonds like connections.

Social connections. Yeah. And toys are inanimate objects, delesson. They don't move. Exactly. They have no soul. So it doesn't move. It's not alive. So which is better? Parents or inanimate objects.

Parents, come on. Unless you have like really rubbish parents. And toys in the past. So we had very little technology. No Labogu. And the toys in the past were made from Nesh. natural materials. They were made from wood, stone. So dolls were natural. Weren't weird. I mean, we're saying this. Maria and I are obviously of an older generation. There are probably some young people who are like, woo, Labubu is the best thing ever. And they are wrong.

It is not. Yeah, so kind of like toys were very simple. Like dolls, cars, you know, soldiers, toy soldiers. well, we did have some teddy bears, but that's later perhaps, some hobby horses, right? And, yeah, so pretty much like wood and bone. So, kites, you know, a kite that we put up in the air. Balls, different balls. So, yeah, everything was so simple. Now it's so complicated. And Rory tells us that.

broadly speaking, again, in general, toys seem to be more complex now than in the past. The materials are different. And we talk about embedded electronics. So now toys have technology embedded in them, inserted in them. So toys can talk, toys can move, toys can play music, and lots of plastic. but they are no replacement for parents. Advertisements, dear listener. So we say adverts, ads or advertisements.

The general word for the industry is advertising. So in general, advertising. But then you say that advertisements for children. Adverts for children. Ads for kids are very irritating, so they are annoying. that these adverts make children want certain toys. And it's reasonable, so it's sensible to do something. And maybe you think that we should ban all adverts for children.

Ban like prohibit, like, no, no, we don't have any adverts for children anymore. That's it. And them all together, like 100%. But that's not feasible. That means it's not really possible. So these adverts, they use some specific psychological mechanisms to influence children's psychology, brain. And they usually create a sort of excitement in children, or they create a sense of fear. A child watches this ad and then they are afraid of not getting this toy of missing out.

So they create this feeling of missing out. If I don't have a labubu, I will die. Or my friends will think that I'm stupid without a labubu. Yeah? That's horrible. It's just dreadful. Can you imagine, Rory? If you don't have this phone, you are this and that.

Well, that's the message being sent, but is it a real message? Or is it just people being manipulated? That's the reality, like... Don't let yourself be manipulated by advertising. Unless it's one of our adverts. They are always beneficial. Oh yeah, dear, listen, our advertising is just, you know, amazing. The best.

Top-notch. Those things are actually beneficial, and we're not selling them to children, so that's fine. Thank you so much for listening. We love you. We hug you. Okay? Play only with the right toys, all right? The toys that give you pleasure and joy and they're just nice.

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That was easy. What are the advantages and disadvantages of modern toys? I honestly don't know. I'm not exactly o'fay with the ins and outs of product design these days. But at a guess, I suppose they might be more interactive with all the technology integrated into them, which could make them more fun to play with. On the other hand, it might make them more expensive as a result.

What's the difference between the toys boys play with and girls play with? Well, actually, I remember reading something somewhere that it's less about what they play with and more about how they play with them. So, for example, girls are generally more likely to play with dolls in a cooperative play, like playing house, while boys tend to engage in more competitive or mock aggressive play with their versions of dolls. You could probably best see that in the difference between things like Barbie and Action Man. Do you think parents should buy more toys for their kids or spend more time with them? Oh, I'm definitely of the firm belief

that parents need to spend more time with their kids. It helps them to socialize and build secure bonds and replaces, or not replaces, reduces mental and physical issues. If you outsource that to inanimate objects, then I suppose it's less effective or even completely ineffectual. Not only that, but it could also even be harmful to the development of children. What's the difference between the toys kids play with now and those they played with in the past?

Well, broadly speaking, they seem to be more complex, not only in terms of the tech incorporated into them, but also when it comes to the materials they're made from, and they'd have to be with all the electronics embedded in them and all the developments and materials, at least a material science in the last. century. All the plastic we have alone is a massive change. Should advertising aim that children be prohibited? I'm tempted to say it should be banned altogether, given how irritating it is,

though I'm not sure how feasible that is. I mean, how could you even enforce such a prohibition? It's probably more reasonable to encourage people to be more independently minded and reduce the exposure of kids to stuff like that in general. But that's something you have to decide personally. you could convince the authorities to enforce that. How do adverts influence children? I don't know a great deal about the psychological mechanism behind it, but I suppose the simple version is that the same way it affects adults, it creates some sort of excitement or fear around having or not having something and how it could make things better, or at least appear to make

things better. With kids, that could be making the product part of a story or through the use of bright colors or opportunities to interact, like with a digital pet or something.