Childhood Obesity and Television

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States of America and continues to increase at an alarming rate. To eradicate this problem, children need to spend more time engaged in physical activity, instead of watching television. In this paper, evidence will show how television is having a negative impact on children, by way of commercialism and advertising. An overwhelming majority of commercials are geared toward children that entice them to make bad food choices. Today’s youth spend about four and a half hours every day watching television, and are pressured by the programming and advertising they see. Studies show that it can be difficult for children to differentiate between programming content and advertising{Foundation, 2004, paragraph 5}. Advertisers target kids on a daily basis and something needs to be done to stop them, or at the very least, put a limit on the number of commercials that cater to children. Advertisers go after children because they are easy prey and can manipulate their parents into giving them what they want. To combat this growing problem, the FCC teamed up with the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity and released a report to the President, entitled “Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a generation”(Let’s Move.gov). The report included suggestions on how changes in food marketing can lower childhood obesity, such as, media and entertainment companies as a whole should restrict their licensing of their most popular characters to food and drinks that are wholesome and in tune with nutritional standards(Reboot.fcc.gov). The research conducted will come from peer reviewed journals, articles, and government websites. The evidence will prove how television can have a bad influence on kids due to the commercials they are constantly being exposed to. Researchers at the University of California

investigated the types of food commercials viewed by youth watching English and Spanish- language American TV programs on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons. The findings consisted of programs from twelve networks. Out of 5,724 recorded commercials, 1162 dealt with food and 91.2% of the food promotions were in English, while only 8.7% were in Spanish.
There was only one bilingual commercial. Children’s programming exposed viewers to 76% more food commercials per hour than the other networks. Approximately 7.7 food commercials each hour are in children’s programming. That means a food commercial is shown every 8 minutes (Bell, 2009). The average American kid views more than 40,000 TV commercials every year.
That translates into about 100 commercials a day! The American Psychological Association says that children under the age of 8 can’t tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not. Therefore, they’re more likely to believe whatever an advertiser tells them. Researchers have also noticed a link between childhood obesity and the number of junk food commercials children see. Other studies have shown that kids who see more commercials have higher rates of anxiety and depression. (Anonymous, 2007). There are some people who believe that Congress should pass laws making it illegal to advertise to kids. However, marketers and advertisers say that they care about children and will start controlling their ads. A number of advertisers have chosen to run healthy food ads and scale back on using popular characters.(Anonymous, 2007). As part of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, 17 advertisers have vowed to enhance the health content of their products and alter their marketing plans. Elaine
Kolish, VP-director of the CFBAI, said advertisers in 2007 were required to advertise healthy products in 50% of their media time that was focused on kids, but every marketer that was involved ended up promoting those products in all their kids’ ad time. In January 2010, it became a requirement, also Coca Cola, Cadbury, Mars, and Hershey’s have each vowed to do away with advertising to kids under 12. (Hampp, 2011). “ Our goal is not to reduce the number of ads to kids but to shift the content [of the ads],
Ms. Kolish said. “Companies have had to discontinue some products, reformulate others and innovate new products once budgets became effective. It’s led to reductions in calories, salt and trans fats.”(Hampp,2011). Unhealthy food ads are still around, they are just being moved around to different places. Daytime broadcast programming has profited from the change. Products such as high-sugar cereals, and high-sodium lunches have been redirected, not cut.’’ Children are very seldom introduced to public service announcements and advertising for healthier food selections. Children between the ages of 8-12 are receiving the greatest number of ad exposure. They are entering a fundamental stage of development where they are forming food habits, making more of their own food choices, and have their own money to buy the kinds of foods they enjoy(Foundation, 2007). A recent literature review by Kaiser Family Foundation called attention to numerous studies that suggested advertising dominates dietary and other food choices in children, which is likely to play a role in contributing to energy imbalance and weight gain(Kaiser op.cit). Another study found that among children as young as three, the quantity of weekly television viewing was considerably linked to their intake of calories. As well as requests and parental purchases of specified foods that they saw advertised on television. Several other studies found that the amount of time children engaged in watching television was consistent with how often they solicited products at the grocery store and their product and fondness of the brand (government, A collection of research shows that more than 50% of television advertisers pointed at children sell foods and beverages such as candy, convenience and snack foods, sugar ridden drinks, and sweetened breakfast cereals that are high in calories and fat and low in fiber and nutrient density (foundation, 2011). The statistics on food advertising to children reveals some startling statistics. The yearly sales in 2002 of foods and beverages to young consumers exceeded twenty seven billion dollars(market research.com,2005).Food and beverage advertisers combined spend ten to twelve billion dollars annually to influence kids and youth: more than one billion is spent on media advertising to children (majority on television). Another three billion is spent on packaging designed for children.(Brownell,2004, Mcneal,1999). Lastly, fast food outlets put three billion dollars into television ad campaigns that are aimed at children (Schosser, 2002). It is our job as adults and parents to safeguard children from harm. Television can be a useful tool for learning, but as the data has indicated, it is doing a lot more harm than good. Therefore, more emphasis needs to be put on promoting commercials and ad campaigns that encourage and motivate kids to eat healthy, so they can become healthy, strong adults.

References
Kaiser Family Foundation(2004). The role of media in childhood obesity
Obama M. (2010) Let’s Move.com
Federal Communication Commission. (2011). Media and Childhood Obesity. Retrieved (April 2011) from Reboot. FCC. gov. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. (Dec 2009). TV Bombards Children. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Volume 41 (Issue 6). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.eduu
Hampp,A. Kids’ TV up despite regulatory challenges. (March 2011). Volume 82, Issue 10. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu
Anonymous(2007).
Foundation(2007).
Kaiser op. cit
Foundation(2011).
Marketresearch.com(2005)
Brownell, K (2004) McNeal(1999). Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America’s Obesity Crisis, and what we can do about it. New York, NY: M Graw- Hill
Schosser,E (2002). Fast Food Nation. New York, NY : Perennial Publishing

References: Kaiser Family Foundation(2004). The role of media in childhood obesity Obama M Federal Communication Commission. (2011). Media and Childhood Obesity. Retrieved (April 2011) from Reboot. FCC. gov. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. (Dec 2009). TV Bombards Children. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Volume 41 (Issue 6). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.eduu Hampp,A Anonymous(2007). Foundation(2007). Kaiser op. cit Foundation(2011). Marketresearch.com(2005) Brownell, K (2004) McNeal(1999) Schosser,E (2002). Fast Food Nation. New York, NY : Perennial Publishing