Why Do Food Companies Target Children

If a company targets children to sell its products, will the children be able to resist? Companies frequently advertise their products to children in attempts to exploit children’s weaknesses to increase revenue. Food companies who target children often offer sweets, soft drinks, or fast food. For example, tobacco companies conduct marketing campaigns that generate desire for their products. Additionally, corporations such as Disney create animated films that appeal to children, then create toys resembling the characters in the films. Through the popularity of the films, Disney can mass-produce and sell toys. These children are susceptible to corporate manipulation. As such, companies should target only older audiences because younger people may not understand the

Food companies are one group that target children for profit. For example, food companies target children who may not realize the consequences of eating too much unhealthy food. Too much consumption of these foods can lead to obesity. Therefore, food companies that advertise unhealthy junk foods to children are indirectly responsible for higher rates of childhood obesity. In a 2006 article, Marion Nestle, Ph.D. states that, as a result of food marketing to young people, American children become inclined to consume more unhealthy foods, which has caused obesity rates to multiply since the late 1970s. According to Nestle, obesity rates have more than doubled for children from ages six to eleven. For people ages twelve to nineteen, obesity rates have more than tripled. On the contrary, others may argue that the true problem may be found within the children’s lack of nutritional education. However, advertisements of the unhealthy foods can convince children that companies know more about what they should eat than parents. This undermines the parents’ teaching and causes young people to consume the products