How much do the fast food companies spend for advertising to children in the United States? In 2009, “The Fast food companies spent over $ 4.2 billion in the fast food industry alone to market on television, the internet, social media sites, etc” (Brownell, 2009). This amount of money demonstrated that advertising to children is big business for companies, but it affects children directly, who are innocent of future generations. The purpose of this essay is to convince legislators to consider banning the advertising of fast food to children under the age of 12 in children’s programming. First, I will briefly describe the definition of fast food and the negative effects of advertising fast food to children under the age of 12. They are considered harmful to children, encouraging long term unhealthy diets for children, which lead children to obesity. I will give examples of some countries that already ban fast food advertising during children’s programming and state some simple solutions to solve the problems.
The definition of fast food is convenient food which is prepared and served quickly at a fast food restaurant. It is easily nearby anywhere and customers can take home with drive-thru pick up in order to save time. Fast food is also inexpensive. Also, most of fast food is considered unhealthy food because it is high in calories, sodium, cholesterol, saturated fat and sugar. These unhealthy foods can lead to weight gain and many health problems such as: high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes. Namely, the United States have twelve big chain fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, KFC, etc.
The advertising of fast food effects children under the age of 12 is ...
... middle of paper ...
...ents. The other one is that schools need to provide more hours to teach children about the negative effect of fast food. Why they are bad for their health and teach more about the healthy diets as a campaign to consume healthy food.
In conclusion, advertising fast food to children under the age of 12 should be banned because it is considered harmful to children, encouraging long term unhealthy diets that lead children to obesity. So we need to find some solution. In other words, parents have an important role to give the right nutrition and healthy diets to their children, to be more aware of the television their children are watching, and to limit the time for younger children. Finally, families should do some physical activities with the children. Then as a result, we can reduce the amount of obesity in children and have more healthy children in our society.
We must do something about fast food products, to stop from affecting children and leading them to obesity. Is what reflect David Barboza’s article “If You Pitch It, They Will Eat.” School’s, Parent’s, Policy Makers, etc… Should take the lead in this action, by reducing many unhealthy food products from school’s, store’s, and place’s close to home. There should be limit’s that stop’s food companies from promoting themselves as appealing when in reality their food products are a hazard to our bodies. As Barboza states in his article “There is a need to set specific standards on what is marketed to children…” we are in agreement that, what ever kids see on T.V. or being marketed, they want it!
Schools with enormous food courts where students can buy meals and drinks from commonly known franchises, such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola, are the schools with the most health problems. Fast-food franchises are showing up everywhere, but do these businesses belong in high schools? No! Schools are here to enlighten students for life after school. If high schools promote bad eating habits by placing fast-food franchises in their cafeterias, then how can students eat right and healthy beyond high school.
Obesity in the United States, which the media has labeled a national crisis, has also been connected to poverty rates. Big fast food industry’s target poor communities, and spend millions of dollars each year to create advertising that appeals to these specific areas. These industry’s also target naïve children when advertising because they know that eating habits developed in childhood are usually carried into adulthood. Children who are exposed to television advertisements for unhealthy food and who are not educated well enough on good nutrition will grow up and feed their families the same unhealthy foods they ate as kids. A big way fast food giants are able to make certain young people have access to unhealthy food is by strategically placing franchises in close proximity to schools. They will often place three times as many outlets within walking distance of schools than in areas where there are no schools nearby. The way fast food advertising is targeted towards children is very alarming considering how important good nutrition is for young people and how a child’s eating habits can affect their growth and
The fast food industry is one of the largest sectors of the United States economy. Companies such as Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, McDonalds and KFC have all become household names. Each of these companies operates under a similar mission statement: to serve a quick, filling meal for a very low cost. The primary marketing medium for these companies is television where via commercials, they can portray both their products and a lifestyle. Their intense advertising focus on minorities and children, however, has begun to exacerbate the epidemic of obesity that is sweeping our nation. Fast food's televised advertising is a significant contributor to obesity in today's minority youth. By promoting unhealthy tendencies and high-calorie foods as well as an attitude that promotes tolerance of diseases such as obesity, these companies are influencing people to such a degree that it is negatively affecting their health. This dangerous marketing method is not only sweeping America, but other countries as well. The emphasis on fast food companies' immoral marketing raises the question: Are people eating for hunger or because of an advertised, influenced habit? However, we must also address whether or not fast food companies are mainly responsible, or if the blame also covers their consumers.
Any agency that uses children for marketing schemes spends hundreds of billions of dollars each year worldwide persuading and manipulating consumer’s lifestyles that lead to overindulgence and squandering. Three articles uncover a social problem that advertising companies need to report about. In his research piece “Kid Kustomers” Eric Schlosser considers the reasons for the number of parents that allow their children to consume harmful foods such as ‘McDonalds’. McDonalds is food that is meant to be fast and not meant to be a regular diet. Advertising exploits children’s needs for the wealth of their enterprise, creating false solutions, covering facts about their food and deceiving children’s insecurities.
Crouse, Janice Shaw. "The Fast-Food Industry Intentionally Markets Unhealthy Food to Children." Fast Food. Ed. Tracy Brown Collins. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
Commercials make the viewer think about the product being advertised. Because of the amount of television children watch throughout the week, it allows the children to be exposed to the information over and over again. Per year, children are known to view thousands of fast food commercials. On a daily basis, a teen will usually view five advertisements and a child aged six to eleven will see around four advertisements (Burger Battles 4). Businesses use this strategy to “speak directly to children” (Ruskin 3). Although the big businesses in the fast ...
Since Americans typically live hectic lifestyles, fast food is a quick and easy way to grab a meal on the go. However, eating fast food frequently provides the body with high amounts of calories, sugars, saturated and trans fats, while lacking in vitamins and minerals. Overtime, eating fast food can take a toll on ones body and increase the risk of developing illnesses and diseases. These diseases include heart disease; type 2 diabetes, stroke, and cancer, breathing problems, arthritis and even reproductive complications.
Many people all around the world and especially in the United States are paying money to poison their own bodies. Fast food is a major problem in the United States. Many people are attracted to fast food restaurants because of their low prices, but fast food is the cause of many health issues and is the main reason for the growing population of obese individuals in America. Although fast food can be a good option for a quick and cheap meal, fast food is very bad for the human body because it is full of questionable ingredients and can cause obesity, heart disease and raise cholesterol.
In the article “ If You Pitch It, They Will Eat” by David Barboza, Barboza explains how major food companies advertise to children because they know kids are easy to sell products to. The article is about why fast food companies market to children and how can be harmful to them. Fast food companies are everywhere children are. They advertise in cartoons children watch and sell their food in schools. The main argument is these fast food companies are wrong to sell to kids, and the kids are seeing the effect of eating all the fast food shown to them. Barboza wants a change to happen because these are our children and they cannot grow up with obesity and diabetes.
Food advertising contributes to childhood obesity in many ways. One of them being that the food advertised is unhealthy. “The mechanism of effect of media exposure on obesity may also operate through the extensive advertising messages for unhealthy foods targeted at children.” (Agarwal, Dhanasekaran) The food advertising geared towards children makes them develop unhealthy eating habits, and choices. The advertisements are usually advertising unhealthy foods, never healthy ones. “When children watch television, they cannot escape food advertising. “Sugared snacks and drinks, cereal, and fast food advertisements respectively comprise approximately thirty-two percent, thirty-one percent, and nine percent of all advertisements marketed specifically to children.” (Termini, Roberto, Hostetter) Due to limited cognitive abilities, children view many food advertisements, and don’t really have the knowledge or capability to comprehend that the food being advertised is not healthy.
Worcester Polytechnic Institution. "Fast Food Marketing to Children." Public Health Communication. (2007). http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-082107-231740/unrestricted/Appendix_1.pdf (accessed February 17, 2014).
One way that fast food effects obesity is by advertising their products to children (Miller). In her article Food Advertising Contributes to Obesity, Patti Miller explains that the fast food companies are targeting kids and teenagers by advertising on television. The fast food advertisements are promoting unhealthy products as acceptable food which influences children to choose those meals. The American Psychological Association, an organization focused on improving the lives of individuals, expressed that with the exposure of different fast food commercials, children request to purchase these unhealthy products and cause the parents to be influenced by these requests. This concludes the idea that once children are encouraged by the commercials, they opt to consume the fast food advertised on television. Today, fast food companies are even advertising through schools by offering pizzas and burgers as school lunches, which consequently becomes a daily meal for children and teenagers to consume (Wadden, Brownell,
Children are known for their naivety and easily persuaded personas. Fast food markets prey on this fact while marketing their products to this malleable audience. According to Eric Schlosser, an acclaimed investigative journalist, children are the target for many fast...
As a little girl I loved watching television shows on Saturday mornings. I’d get upset when a show would proceed to commercial. That is until I watched the shiny new toy being played with by the girl my age and of course the cool new one that came into the happy meal, then I’d forget. After seeing the appealing commercial I’d run to my mom and try to slickly mention it. “You know McDonalds has a new Monster’s Inc. toy in their happy meal. Isn’t that great? “Now I realize that back then I was targeted by big companies to beg my parents for things that I didn’t need or that wasn’t good for me in order to make money. Advertising today is affecting the health of today’s children because they eat the unhealthy foods advertised to them on: television, the internet, and even at school. Therefore, an impassioned discussion of possible solutions has been brewing.