Yum… those tasty airhead bites you just say on TV look so good, but why? Have you ever thought about why companies are trying to target younger children for their ads? Typically, people don't tend to notice because they aim their target to kids in a very sneaky way. If you think about it, your kids are their future customers. The older they become, the more they will become interested. This doesn't just come with a positive side of selling products, but it also comes with a negative side known as childhood obesity. Advertising has had a huge affect on children and targeting them with food, which leads to childhood obesity.
"Kids eat free!" "Mom can I get that, please. please. please." Yes, your children just continue to pest you with something AMAZING that they just saw advertised on TV or their brand new kindle. There are many ways stated below about how companies are trying to target your children.
1. Website free downloads and games that make junk food seem more exciting and delicious.
2. TV commercials where they are advertising food, while also interacting with other individuals.
3. At grocery stores, they are placing food at eye level so children are targeted to see everything
on the shelf.
4. Fast food restaurants that are offering children playgrounds or other fun activities.
5. School advertising such as vending machines, pop machines, school lunches, and many other
reasons
Remember when you were a child and you loved getting the McDonalds kids meals because it came with those sweet toys. Well, that is a form of advertising on how companies are trying to target
children. Fast food companies tend to use "free toys" to get kids appealed, which is currently working. I mean it at least works for me! If you think about it, this makes childhood obesity at a greater risk due to the fact that fast food restaurants are reeling in children when it isn't the healthiest choice. According to American Psychological Association, today, children ages 8-18 consume multiple types of media and spend more time in front of the computer, television, and game screens than any other activity in their lives. Due to this, research has found that their are increases in advertising for non-nutritious foods and higher rates of childhood obesity. This type of advertising has been influencing children and the choices they make in food products along with their diets. Did you know that food ads on television make up 50% of all the ad time on children's shows. Most of these ads are taken over by junk food such as: candy, cereal, and many other sugary snacks. I can definitely relate to that because every time I see some delicious looking food on TV, I instantly say "yum I have to try that!"
How about all of that good food they sell during school lunches? Or the venting machines? I mean
that's when the time is to buy junk food because mom won't see. Why not just sneak a dollar out of moms purse right before school? School is one place where childhood obesity and advertising needs to be taken care of. Advertising junk food and sugary drinks in the schools vending machines makes kids instantly attached. Once you eat one you won't stop. Yes… the food may be good, juicy, and sweet, but is that really what we should be eating. Schools are tempting to cause childhood obesity these days with all of the advertising they are including in the districts.
The other problem in school these days are the food they advertise for school lunches. The "hot lunches" aren't the problem, but the extra food they put out for the alacarte is the real problem. From the tasty peanut butter chocolate rice krispy bars to those super fluffy french fries that smell amazing, our schools need to stop selling this junk food. When they advertise the food out in some pretty rappers, children just run right to them and don't even think about how many calories they could be taking in.
Lets stop targeting children into food advertisements or maybe start targeting them into healthy food advertisements.
