Essay on The Impact Advertising Has on Children

But parents are not the only ones to blame. Fast food companies aren’t as innocent as some may think. They play just as big of a part in childhood obesity as parents do. Notice how advertising and marketing are being directed to young children. This is because it’s a lot easier to influence kids when their favorite cartoon character is on almost every product that fast food companies are trying to sell. In David Barboza’s article, “If You Pitch It, They Will Eat,” he states, “Marketers know that children love animals and cartoon characters, and industry observers say they have used knowledge not just to create new shows but to produce a new generation of animated pitchmen.” Advertisers know what children find appealing and they use it to their advantage. They don’t really care so much about what the outcome may be from buying all this unhealthy food; they just care about selling their products.

Food companies make millions just from advertising junk food to kids. Food companies advertise using very known cartoon characters to appeal to kids that contain high-sugar levels that can cause many different disorders that can affect them in a server way. Kids tend to beg their parents for junk food and other types of foods just for seeing that they would receive a toy. In the article “10 Things the Food industry Doesn’t Want You to Know” states “On TV alone, the average child sees about 5,500 food commercials a year.” With these advertisements, kids can get the idea of going to eat in places that have unhealthy food. Advertisement like these can cause children to view fast food as something they can be constantly eating without having any problems.

As fast food Industries expand throughout the United States, Americans have chosen to eat unhealthy food saturated in fat. Obesity has become an epidemic in the united states in the 70s impacting the common American family because of the lack of the healthier resources. Fast food company use marketing strategies to target the younger generation by building fast food companies in small towns which destroys any opportunities for the younger generation to eat local unprocessed foods. Obesity is the current issue America is facing and it appears to be growing each day. Many blame fast food who have attracted the public with advertisements containing foods, saturated with chemicals and fats. Propaganda and commercials are the most common advertisements to target the younger

Having an unhealthy eating diet such as fast food, chips, soda, and baked goods all can have an impact on a child’s weight gain. Chains of fast food restaurants such Mcdonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Wendy’s, target young people. For example, there is a young child watching television and a commercial comes on, these commercials corrupt the child’s mind and portrays that it is healthy to it eat when it's not. In addition, parents will buy their kids this junk food because it is cheaper than buying

An argument for fast food companies may be that in recent years they have started offering healthier options. Some menus now offer milk as a beverage and apples as a food. While these are healthier choices, there is still very few of these options as opposed to the unhealthy ones. Not to mention in advertisements the apples are always shown with a sugar filled dipping sauce. The fact that these companies still have mostly unhealthy choices, they should not target children in their advertisement. It is obvious that many factors play into the epidemic of childhood obesity. Factors that play into childhood obesity are things such as family income levels and restaurants that are in close proximity. Let me pose this question, what food places are the cheapest and have locations on almost every street corner? Yes, that is correct, fast food. When they already have those factors in their favor, these advertisements just seal the deal for them.

Fast food companies do not hold back, and they take full advantage of this by advertising their fattening food products that appeal to the children. The American Psychological Association website explains that “Research has found strong associations between increases in advertising for non-nutritious foods and rates of childhood obesity” (“The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity”). This direct relationship shows the harboring effect that advertisements have on childhood obesity. This also affects the child psychologically. “Most children under age 6 cannot distinguish between programming and advertising and children under age 8 do not understand the persuasive intent of advertising” (“The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity”). Without even realizing it, children are channeling in on these persuasive and luxurious looking advertisements. One tactic that some fast food restaurants use is the inclusion of a free toy with a kid’s meal. “For more than 30 years, McDonald’s has included toys alongside children’s Happy Meals. And for more than 30 years, the rates of diabetes and obesity in children have steadily increased” (“Childhood Lost”). By promoting their business with bribes like this, unhealthy eating habits form, which can result in obesity problems. The fast food industries know that children are vulnerable, so they target them with these bribes. “Happy Meals are marketed as explicitly for children, and then children are rewarded with toys for consuming the high amounts of fat and sodium” (“Childhood Lost”). This is a crafty technique that some fast food restaurants use to sell off their products. Children are too young to realize the effect the advertisements have on them and the long term consequences that may come with

Some children’s families do not have the finances to purchase healthy foods, so they buy what they can afford which is fast food and junk. Markets have lowered their prices for the unhealthy food making it easier for consumers to buy and harder to resist when it fits in the budget. Also, television has become a big part of the youth’s extra-curricular activities. Children don’t spend most of their time outside playing anymore, now they watch TV for more than seven hours. A recent literature review by Kaiser Family Foundation highlighted a number of studies that suggested that advertising influenced dietary and other food choices in children (M. Dehghan, N. Akhtar-Danesh and A. Merchant). While watching TV for hours on end, they will see advertising for fast food restaurants and junk food. Unhealthy foods are advertised on TV to target children and adolescents. TV viewing is a contributing factor to childhood obesity because it may take away from the time children spend in physical activities. Watching TV leads to increase calorie intake through snacking and eating meals in front of the TV. Plus influence children to make unhealthy food choices through exposure to food advertisements that are unhealthy.

Association, kids often do make food choices based on what they see on television. Doctors who study kids have noticed that food advertised is very powerful” (39). In order to prove that idea, the author adds that children and teens who watch more than two hours of television daily are more likely to be overweight than those who do not. Due to the many fast food restaurants and advertisements available to Americans, the realization that their food is unhealthy does not occur. The United States is aware of the consequences that come along with obesity, yet rarely ever are there advertisements promoting a healthy lifestyle. It is uncommon that an overweight person is shown eating a restaurant’s food in their commercial. It will give off the wrong

As they continue to eat the unhealthy meal from that fast food chain, children may become obese and are then at risk of developing dangerous diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Sadly, the number of kids who are obese has increased over the years and will continue to if these ads are present. As Wellard stated, "Foods purchased from fast food chains are frequently consumed by both children and adults worldwide, and are generally high in energy, total, and saturated fat, sugar, and sodium." But, as kids grow up, they continue to eat at that fast food chain because they are accustomed to it already. They are not even aware of the problems that could arise from simply eating that unhealthy food. As Eric Schlosser stated in Fast Food Nation, "The growth  in children's advertising has been driven by efforts to increase not just current, but also future, consumption." They become used to seeing that specific brand and they keep it close. It can be very difficult to stop eating unhealthy because of the diseases in the long-run and the possible addiction that may have been made by eating fast food so

Parental neglect of offering healthy food for their kids led to compound the crisis. Recently, the consumption of fast food has dramatically risen in the U.S. The huge relevance of fast food restaurants, such as McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, Taco Bell and others, could be a contributor in changing the Americans style of food, and increasing their intake of these unhealthy foods. According to a research conducted about fast food consumption in the U SS, 22% of parents said that their kids consume fast food meals at least once a week, which might easily drive to obesity. As known, the main aim of fast food companies is raising their profitability, and therefore, their plan is to sell food as much as they could despite their knowledge that it is unhealthy. So, they focused on attracting kids to buy from them by enticing advertisements. They know how to draw kids’ attention, especially when they describe the taste of their meals and show their toys that come with them. There is no doubt that TV programs and advertisements have a strong impact on children. Many studies have confirmed that watching TV for a long time during a day is able to influence kids in their attitudes and habits. The problem of eating fast food is that it has a lack of fiber and dairy, contains a high density of energy, and has big amounts of protein, fat and sugar, which makes it the unhealthy

Advertising is everywhere for almost everything. Fast food companies advertise food that causes obesity. Fast food companies make their products seem enjoyable and appealing to the eye. ““A child who loves our TV commercials,” Kroc later explained, “and brings her grandparents to a McDonalds gives us two more customers.”” (Schlosser&Wilson-P.45) This means that children convince their parents to take them to McDonalds. This might influence their grandparents to go as well which is more money for the fast food company. The more a person sees a commercial for a fast food product they are more likely to go. Over time the fast food will cause obesity. “Sam realized that he’d gained a lot of wright over the past year….Sam began to eat fast food three or four times a week.”(Schlosser&Wilson-P202-203) The toys encourage children that going to fast food

According to the American Heart Association, 1 in about 3 American kids and teens are overweight or obese. The amount of overweight children has more than tripled from 1971 to 2011. With a good reason, childhood obesity is now the number one health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking. “Marketing to kids gets more savvy with technology”, says that this generation is expected to live a life expectancy less than their parents. This is because knowledgeable marketers, such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Arby's are advertising their products to a vast majority of children worldwide.Marketers advertising fast food encourage kids to eat fast food. However, too much fast food can cause obesity, heart disease,

Food advertisements, if focused at the right people and in the right places, are a complete success. These features, some of which are commercials, seduce society into buying food that we necessarily do not need. Many advertisement companies, especially those about food, are directed to children because they know that if you grab the kids you have their parents. While brands are using fun cartoons like “Trix Rabbit” and “Toucan Sam” (Green, 2007, p. 49) supermarkets are taking these items and placing them right in front of the children, at their level, advertising the “Fun foods” (Elliot, 2008, p. 259-273). They do this so the kids will use their, “pester power” (Scholsser, n.d., p. 2) to get what they want. A series of studies have been performed on children and television advertisements. An article states, “These studies have generally linked children's television viewing to negative health effects” (Korr, 2008, p. 451). Amongst these negative effects is a higher level of childhood obesity (p. 451). Similarly, in another study performed by a group of researchers, kids were asked to explain the television commercials that they remembered the best. The answers given were then compared with their diets. Interestingly, the items those children remembered best, chips, sweets, and sodas were a huge part of what they ate (Hitching & Moynihan, 1998, p. 511-517). However, some authors argue that television producer’s, even though their

Influential advertisements that are constantly shown to children while they watch TV, motivate them to make poor food choices. Children start to believe that unhealthy and non­nutritious foods often referred to as “junk food” are what they should consume. Young children are not aware of what consists a healthy diet and they over­consume the unhealthy junk foods. The over consumption of non­nutritious foods is leading obesity in children. Obesity has serious consequences for the children as they get older. Obese children begin developing many different types of chorionic disease later on. As a recent health article stated that,“obesity in children is responsible for type two diabetes” (Harvey 2013). The government must review and approve plans to limit or control the advertisement of unhealthy foods on children’s TV channels because, advertisements are influencing children to over consume unhealthy food and leading to the child obesity epidemic.

There are some specific and real problems that advertising can cause upon children (William A. Ramsey). Fast-food restaurant advertising it’s influencing our children to be obese. Childhood obesity around the world is causing worries, especially detrimental as its effect carries on into parenthood. The ratio of children 's who are overweight has approximately tripled in the same period, reaching fourteen percent (Center for disease control