Fast Food Advertisements Directed Towards Children

When McDonald’s website is brought up on the internet, one of the first things noted is how high quality is one of their highest priorities. When “high quality” is mentioned, do McDonald’s frozen patties fried in oil with enough calories to last a day come to mind? This kind of false representation has led our nation to arguably be the most obese populations on the planet. If we were to have a hope of turning this country around, it needs to start at our roots and also the heart of fast food advertisement: the children. Companies that realize young children cannot grasp the unhealthy side effects of fast food take advantage of this fact and make an easy dollar. In turn, the children are set on a track to an overweight and possibly handicapped lifestyle. If fast food advertisements intended for children were banned, healthier opportunities would begin to replace burgers and fries, removing the X from our XL nation.

When a child is throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of a grocery store aisle, their parent is more likely to give in before the tears run dry. What they want is usually eye catching and promoted strictly for them. The same applies to fast food. Top industries know that parents just do not want to deal with a crying child. If they can control the kids to scream for their product once, they know they will scream again and again, and continue to buy their product.

“On the contrary, one can take advantage of the simple fact that eating habits start young. “A ban on advertising unhealthy foods to children would discourage eating habits that are not only hard to break, but potentially life-threatening” (Schlosser 262). A diet of vegetables and fruits instead of sodium and saturated fat can set a child up for long-term success. People who are exposed to a certain product throughout their childhood are more likely to remain loyal to that product and company for the rest of their life. At the age they begin to recognize and desire McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, etc., they are completely unaware of the calories and fat these foods contain. However, hearing of a child who has not experienced a handful of different fast foods is incredulous. This is why the tie between children and greasy industrial food needs to be severed. As a result, they would become less dependent on fast food and are more prone to developing good hygiene and fitness that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. They become more active, more involved, and build better relationships with other people. When smoking advertisements were banned, the smoking rate in children dropped exponentially. Likewise, it should be assumed that a decline in fast food would be a direct result of such a movement. If people began to let go of fast food, our country would thrive.

All that has been talked about recently has been how the rich just get richer. These big corporations run everything, and small businesses are left behind in the dust. Instead of throwing away cash on processed junk, bring your money to a locally grown produce store. Families can benefit just as well as farmers. Children can learn from this and develop an appreciation for healthy food. With everything being grown locally, it cuts down on shipping costs and does very little to our environment. It just takes one snowball to start an avalanche.

Credit should not be taken away from fast food companies. They have found a successful method of advertising that produces the maximum amount of profit and have exploited it perfectly. However, they have done so at the expense of the nation’s health. In 1995, the American Academy of Pediatrics declared that ‘advertising directed at children is inherently deceptive and exploits children under eight years of age’. They have single handedly made the weight of the average American a joke among other countries. These companies and their methods are a disease that needs to be controlled.

Companies like McDonald’s target children and their impatient parents with their advertisements and have had a destructive impact on our culture by doing so. Banning this method of promotion can enhance self-sufficiency, spread the wealth more evenly, positively impact the health of our nation, and instill in our children an appreciation of beneficial habits. It won’t happen over night, but with the right attitude and approach, we can change our future. It has come time for fast food to relinquish its control over our nation in search for a more organic lifestyle.