For all the talk about protecting
children in America, too many of
our youngest are threatened by a
steady blast of
industrial-strength advertising on
children's television. Some ads,
like those for toys and games,
mostly threaten the family budget.
But the commercials hawking sugary
treats or empty calories can be
more pernicious. Many health
professionals now fear that
junk-food advertising to toddlers
and pre-teenagers is contributing
to soaring rates of obesity and
diabetes among the young.
The
Institute of Medicine, in a report
last December sponsored by the
federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, said that
"current food and beverage
marketing practices put children's
long-term health at risk." It
argued that the onslaught of
commercials directed at such very
young children can set bad dietary
patterns for life. And children
under 8 are generally defenseless
against sophisticated barrages
from the giants in the food
industry.
Parents are the first line of
defense, but it's tough to hold
the line in the grocery store
against the piercing whines of
little ones when they spot a
sugary treat sponsored by a
favorite cartoon character. The
government and the food and media
industries need to help out.
The government, however, has
barely noticed this problem. The
Federal Trade Commission decided
last year that the food industry
should police itself on marketing
low-nutrient foods to increasingly
fat children.
Some companies, like Kraft
Foods, appear to have gotten the
word. The company has agreed to
stop marketing such sweets as
Oreos to children under 12. And
networks that televise cartoons,
including Nickelodeon, are trying
to add more advice to the young on
how healthy food and outdoor
exercise can make you feel good,
too.
But progress has been so slow
that the Center for Science in the
Public Interest, the Campaign for
a Commercial-Free Childhood and
two Massachusetts parents have
announced plans to sue Viacom,
which owns Nickelodeon, and the
Kellogg Company. These advocates
of healthy food have accused both
companies of "unfair and
deceptive" junk-food marketing to
children under the age of 8. They
have argued that high-powered ads
aimed at children as young as 2
years old is "creepy and
predatory."
It is not clear that a lawsuit
like this can prevail, even in
consumer-friendly Massachusetts.
But the message should be clear.
Americans pride themselves on
protections for the young, but
they're ignoring an issue that may
be as important as car seats. With
more than nine million obese
youngsters over 6 in this country,
it's time to stop encouraging
another generation to eat wrong.
