The New York Time's website recently published an article stating that due to a recent increase in the strictness of health codes, several companies such as General Mills, McDonalds, and Coca-cola have agreed to stop advertising to children under 12. Eventually, the Department of Health and Human Services hopes to make this type of advertising illegal. Trix, the fun fruity cereal we all used to love, will no longer advertise to children with the frustrated bunny. What I don't understand about this whole dilemma is why so much attention is focused on the advertisement of junk food and not on how much time children in this age group spend watching television. You don't lose weight sitting on the couch eating an apple. You lose weight by watching your calorie intake and playing soccer with your buddies in the backyard. Stopping these advertisements takes money away from our economy, and puts advertisers out of work. Perhaps I am just a little partial towards the advertisers because I hope to become one when I graduate, but aren't the parents the ones going out and buying groceries? If I had an obese child, I would unplug the television and stock the fridge with healthy food. If the junk food isn't in the house, 12-year old Johnny can't go out to the grocery store and buy it. There is a lot of blame placed on the wrong people in this situation, and I am a little peeved that the active kids don't get their cocoa-puffs.
Lol, well I don't think you need to worry about the “active kids†being outlawed from their coco-puffs. I'm pretty sure it is still legal to buy sugared cereal. But I understand what you’re getting at. I think making it a law that businesses can’t advertise junk food is a little extreme. Most everything in life is good in moderation and bad in excess (including junk food). It is very much so the parents responsibility to help foster a healthy lifestyle by limiting their kids’ television viewing and keeping fresh fruits and vegetables around.
It sounds like, according to your post, the government has not done anything (at least yet) to ban advertising aimed at the zero to twelve demographic; but rather that businesses have taken it upon themselves to be responsible. Actually, I think that’s great. I don’t think laws should be made but if a business feels it is their responsibility to cease these types of advertisements… well… the more power to them!
I think McDonalds is a good example. You mentioned in your post that they were one of the businesses that has decided to cease advertisements aimed at this very young demographic. I think that is a great PR movement. McDonalds has gotten a very bad rap from things like the movie Super Size Me and the book A Fast Food Nation. I think it is extremely necessary for their reputation that they look like they care about the communities they serve. And a huge issue in our communities today is the issue of child obesity.
I don’t see McDonalds as a bad industry. Many healthy people enjoy McDonalds in moderation. They know it’s fattening but they eat it because they enjoy it. I don’t think the government should step in and outlaw their advertisements in anyway. However, I do find it refreshing that companies are monitoring themselves to see what they can do better.
I totally agree with you. It totally disgusts me how people put so much blame on the advertisements instead of the people who are buying the food. The reason these kids are obese is because of the choices they make, not because of the advertisements. If a kid wants to eat junk food and it is around for them to eat, then they are going to eat the junk food no matter what they see on TV. I also agree with you that they need to go out and play with soccer or whatever. Kids these days are so ridiculously lazy and it seems like all they care about is their video games. You can't blame McDonalds for enticing you to buy their food. You're the one who bought it. Why are people so focused on putting the blame on anybody but themselves for their own actions? It just kills me. Maybe the kids but mostly the parents need to take a little responsibility and make better decisions instead of blaming the media.