Narrative persuasion and children: how a virtual friend encourages tooth brushing

Previous research underscores the power of stories in persuading target audiences towards healthy lifestyles but not much is known about their effects among children. An empirical study with repeated measures investigated the effects of reading a funny Johnny Joker narrative, in which a negative role model tries out various behaviors related to tooth brushing, on attitudes and intentions towards tooth brushing of 37 toddlers. Narrative processes of wishful identification, media enjoyment and parasocial interaction were measured at ti. Analyses showed that toddlers' attitudes and intentions became more positive after hearing the story three times. Parasocial interaction (and not media enjoyment and wishful identification) significantly predicted attitudes towards tooth brushing. Findings suggest that the narrative with the negative role model may have persuaded children towards healthy lifestyles because the character felt like a (naughty) friend that they liked but did not want to resemble.