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Disney’s bad food ban extends to channels, websites, and radio programs where tweens and children under 12 are the audience.
I know, this might be rubbing you the wrong way. I love sugar too. I love sweets. When I was in elementary school any kid who brought in a box of Lunchables or a pack of Pop Tarts was a God. However, as much as I love sugar, I hate what it does to my body. It makes me really hyper, then really tired! It makes me really lazy and–I hate to say it, it makes me gain weight.
Weight is a hot topic because it is always discussed in relation to how girls should look. Right now, we need to think about weight in terms of health. There’s a weight problem in America and it has a lot to do with obesity–childhood obesity. According to the Center For Disease Control obesity (which is not the same as just being overweight or having a few extra pounds) affects 17% of children. This is three times more than when your parents were growing up. Right now nearly 36% of adults are obese. The NY Daily News reports Type 2 Diabetes among kids 12 to 19 went from 9% in 1999 to 23% in 2008.
Here is the thing, when we see an awesome commercial for an unhealthy snack, we may not even want the snack. But that commercial with the funny song or cool character (Count Chocula, hello) might get stuck in our head and when we go to the grocery store we’ll be begging mom or dad to buy it. This is called “priming“. When you see or hear something over and over again, your brain naturally becomes drawn to it. You may be in the supermarket and think, “Oh, I want something sweet!” If you just saw an ad for Snickers, you’re more likely to buy that Snickers even if Reeses is what you’d normally get.
The problem with advertising to younger children is that they’re getting hooked on sugary treats from a young age where they probably don’t have enough info on nutrition to make better decisions. You start eating sweets when you’re a kid and it gets harder and harder to give them up in adulthood when they’ve begun to harm your health.
When you’re a kid you just want to do what feels good and eat what tastes good–sugar tastes good, duh! Unfortunately, it’s really bad for your body. No, it’s not something you have to completely stop eating, but anything that curbs those cravings is great.
Trust us, those ads are making you crave things you don’t even want. Just think about how good a Big Mac looks on TV and how dull and grey it looks when you actually get it. Advertisements are just fantasies to make bad stuff look really good.
On the flip side there are some really fun ads for junk foods. They’re totally ridiculous and creative–but I guess they’ll just have to channel those creative juices toward a healthier product.
For old times sake here’s our fave World of Warcraft Mountain Dew commercial.
How do you feel about junk food ads? Do you think teen and childhood obesity are a problem? Let us know in the comments!
This is bs. Don’t blame commercials if your kids are obese, instead take a look at the food in your house. In most cases who is the one buying them the unhealthy food? I understand that yes kids can buy unhealthy food on their own, but most of these foods are no worse than what some of you are making for dinner, or that they get in school. Step up & realize you’re the adult & they’re the child. If they cause a scene at the store, put a stop to it, or, better yet make arrangements for them to be at a friends or family members house while shopping.
Yeah, but they’ll still be seeing stuff on other channels, and it’s not like parents aren’t going to stop giving their kids junk when it’s convenient or as a reward. Just because one channel get rid of the adds doesn’t mean the stuff is gone from their lives.
Plus, I was an obese child and now, at 16, I’m anorexic; if anything this could make overweight kids begin to resent certain foods and blame them entirely for their weight issues, the way I did.
wow this is seriously a step in the right direction! i’m proud of disney for standing up to the big corporations of the country, they are actually losing money by not taking those advertising dollars.
**Anna, all it takes is one big company to do the right thing for the rest to follow and Disney is making a big statement. These sugary snacks and foods SHOULD be viewed as a treat or a reward. Fast food and all that crapola was viewed as such for me when i was growing up. When eating foods like that become a lifestyle, then its a problem, and that is just what fast food/sugary food have done to america. They have ingrained this kind of food and eating habits into our daily lives, which is why Americans are obese and unhealthy.
Anna, I’m sorry to hear about your anorexia, but you should ask for help and work through your issues with food, talk to your parents or ask for some counseling.