Here is a story about a study suggesting kids not be subjected to junk food ads. Personally I'd like to find a way to just not have anyone subjected to ads period. But no matter how nobel the motivations in this case I just don't trust it. Parents certainly need to start making better decisions about their kids health. And frankly the parents themselves need to be better educated about food choices. But we do not need regulations saying what can and cannot be advertised just because it isn't 'healthly'. This started with the restrictions on tobbacco and alchohol and it is now moving on. Who makes these decisions ? What constitutes healthy, what not ? Will it be illegal for a kid to buy a candy bar next ? Yes that is extreme and you are meant to laugh at it. But if you are restricting advertising "for the sake of the kids" then what is next ? This is not the start of the slippery slope. We are very much on it. The precedence for any restriction of this type (specifically limiting a type of advertising due to influence on kids) is rooted in the Joe Camel ruling which forced Camel to stop using the iconic cartoon camel in their ads due to wide spread brand recognition among kids (Joe was as identifiable as Mickey Mouse for most kids).
This is not a good sign if you ask me. Are the ads bad and for unhealthy food? Yes. Do they claim to be anything other than junk food ? No. Nothing wrong here. They are advertising a product that is legal to sell and they are advertising to children to whom it is legal to sell too. If it isn't legal to aim an ad at the kids then is it so far fetched to think someone might not want to make it illegal to sell/provide the item as well ?
In the end the responsibility for obese kids goes to Parents. And the parents need better health educations as well because the obesity problem is most certainly not just a problem for kids. The problem isn't junk food. Its our nature. We eat. And we like to eat things that taste good. Junk food by its nature will ALWAYS taste better than healthier alternatives. Regulating advertising is not going to stop the problem. It is going to add uneeded nanny state regulations.
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