Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jasonlulu_2000]

UK tweenagers never used to be worried about spending money on clothes and fashion accessories. That�s changed. Now, they are much more fashion conscious and concerned about their image. In a world of television programmes that promise overnight success and fame at a young age (for example, the shows Britain�s Got Talent and American Idol), some people think it�s extremely important to look fashionable.
So what does tweenage fashion look like? Well, it�s quite horrible really, but then I�m a bit too old to appreciate it, I suppose. It�s lots of brightly coloured materials, particularly pink, and usually plain, not patterned. There are plenty of bows, necklaces and bracelets, too. It�s all very cute, if that�s your taste.
Surely none of the above is a good thing, is it? Can it really be healthy for us to encourage kids to be like adults at such a young age? Are we stealing childhoods in return to a bit of profit? Well, the UK government is certainly concerned, and for that reason has strict laws preventing companies from explicitly marketing their products and services at children.


As far as I learn, there is only a phrase "in return for". Why did the author use "in return to".

What does the underlined sentence mean?


thanks.

Jason

[educe22]

I am not totally familiar with UK phrases, but I would agree with you that "in return for" might have been a better choice.

The author is trying to convey the idea that vendors/capitalists are using these trinkets to entice youngsters to act like adults because it is profitable. Thus, he infers that acting like adults causes them to lose elements of their childhood to the lure of baubles.
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Educe22