Luxury brands are pushing forward with products and services for children, hoping to catch the attention of status conscious parents. Affluent parents can now indulge their children with bespoke hotel programmes, spa services, and designer label fashion.

Wal-Mart’s new geoGirl line of ‘natural’ beauty products in recyclable packaging is controversially targeted at 8 to 12 year-old girls. It taps into this generation’s increasing influence as a powerful and informed consumer group.

Targeting amenities at children rather than their parents appears to be a new tactic for some US brands, with a succession of hospitality ventures capitalising on the trend for child-centric marketing campaigns with a sophisticated twist.

Many fear that helicopter parenting leads to a mollycoddled, risk-averse generation that lacks real socialisation – hindering their creativity, success and happiness. But how are parental roles changing? And what can be done to take back control?