One day, when I and my little cousin went shopping, we felt hungry so we decided to seek a restaurant for lunch. We found McDonald’s and another restaurant. I asked my little cousin about the one he prefers more so he chose and with no thinking McDonald’s. Once we went in, my cousin and I were impressed by the colorful, cheerful and flashy atmosphere. While I was ordering a happy meal for my little cousin and for myself a Big Mac meal, my cousin went directly to the playing corner to play. At this point, I asked myself and I am still thinking of an answer to the question: what makes McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants very favorable for children? Many questions need to be answered in this case. Marketing to children has become a common phenomenon nowadays. It is called the “growth industry” (Linn). Fast Food Nation is a book that was written by Eric Schlosser who discusses the issue of fast food and its effects. He points out the marketing of the fast food companies to children and how children are influenced by that easily. Advertising is the most effective way to attract children to buy various products. As a result, companies are making a good use of this point so they are doing their best to attract children to buy their products. Those companies just care about gaining money without concerning about children’s health. The fast food companies attract children by offering toys, games on TV, internet and clubs. According to Schlosser, marketing to children is unfair and unethical because children just cannot differentiate between wrong and right. Schlosser also discusses the matter of marketing to schools and how that may affect children. Advertisings in public American schools are common nowadays. The writer mentions how those companies write in the contract about selling amount of their products to children and if not, schools should pay money back. Several observations and surveys about marketing to children and schools suggest that there is an improvement in regulating marketing to children because some of the fast food companies are trying to improve their products by offering healthy products to children. However, the bad effects of marketing to children are getting worse since many fast food corporations still offer unhealthy food to children, especially in schools meals. As a result, the situation of marketing to children in schools as Schlosser discussed in his book is having a combination of improvement and getting worse. However, the bad effects of marketing to children are getting less while the improvements are getting better.
Marketing to children is having an improvement in some points due to many factors. The first factor is the attempts of governmental regulations. Schlosser mentions in his book that advertising to children has become so common and without any obvious restrictions. Consequently, the first sign of improvement is an example of governmental regulation of the American Academy of Pediatrics which took the first action to ask the Congress to take a strict action against the widespread of advertising on TV shows directed to children. This action was taken by the American Academy of Pediatrics due to the widespread of obesity among children in the US since 2004. As a result, the congress and the FTC, Federal Trade Commission, limited advertising to children on TV to five or six minutes in an hour (Marilyn). This action was taken by the congress and the FTC and is considered an improvement because it limits the effects of marketing to children in the US.
The second sign of improvement of marketing to children is the attempts of the public in the US for a change in food habits of children in the world. For example, The ABCs and Vegetables and Beyond is a book that was published by Steve Charney and David Goldbeck in 2007; this book deals with ways of how to change wrong eating habits that children are engaged with nowadays which are the basic reasons for children obesity (Brody). This book is divided to two parts; the first one is about how to make children be familiar with healthy food by adding some poems and the second part is about teaching parents to include healthy ingredients in children’s food. This book includes tips how to adapt children to the new food habits. For example, it suggests that parents should not ban the candy, ice cream and chocolate but to allow children to have them in a limited time (Brody). This book is like a training session for parents to improve their children’s health. It is also considered a part of raising the awareness of parents. As a comparison to the public movements of change in marketing to children in the US; there are also movements and actions that are taken in the world for example in Great Britain. The most remarkable campaign in Great Britain against marketing to children was established by the chef Jamie Oliver who started to change children’s wrong eating habits. Then, the movement expanded in Great Britain to establish the Soil Association Food awards 2006 to award the primary schools which offer healthy food in dinner meals (“School Dinner Awards to Celebrate Healthy Primary Schools”).
After mentioning the attempts of governmental regulations of marketing to children and the public, attempts of fast food corporations are also trying themselves to enhance the quality of food for children. One example that shows companies attempts to improve their quality food is a report that indicates some fast food companies in 2007, such as McDonald’s, promise to restrict the advertising to children and offering healthy food (Devi). Also, it was reported that these promises were achieved because the advertisings were reduced by 92% in 2007compared to previous months (Hein). These actions shows that people have become more aware of the problem of marketing to children and its effects on children than before. As a result, the fast food companies are taking actions against marketing to children to satisfy their customers. These actions and movements are considered improvements in the process of limiting marketing to children because some of the goals are achieved.
On the other hand, although all these improvements are achieved in some aspects, marketing to children and its negative effects on children are still very common. The first point that shows the bad situation of marketing to children is that some fast food companies are still attempting to marketing to children without being concerned about what problems children may experience .As Schlosser mentions in Fast Food Nation, advertising of fast food companies in public schools is a part of the contract between the school and the company. According to Alex Molnar, an educational policy researcher at Arizona State University, this phenomenon is increasing that it was found in 2005 that 83% of public schools in the US are engaged with advertisements (Marilyn). This shows that schools are continuing cooperating with companies and advertise for them in public schools just for gaining profits without being concerned about children’s education. The situation is even getting worse as schools keep dealing with unsuitable advertisings for children. Obviously, schools are designed for education, not business.
Another factor shows that the situation is getting worse than Schlosser mentions in Fast Food Nation is that the rate of obese children in the US is increasing. American children are considered the most obese children in the world due to the wrong food habits they practice in schools (Brody). Most of the American schools offer unhealthy food that can affect children health so it contributes to an increase in the rate of obesity among children. Also, it was found that American children are considered to be the first generation that may die before their parents according to the obesity (Devi). As a result, if there is a high rate in obesity in the American community, there is a high expectancy of having diabetes among children and later among adults (Devi). Marketing to children seems to be a risky task that has a long term influence on children who will face health problems.
In conclusion, people should be more aware about marketing to children and its problems and consequences on children. Suffering of children every year has increased with time. As a result, it is our responsibility to save and protect our children’s health. In the future, children will suffer a lot if companies keep advertising to children. I think selling healthy food is not a difficult task. According to a university of Minnesota study, replacing healthy food with the unhealthy and ‘junk food’ doesn’t cost too much money. Those schools just care about getting their supplies in a cheaper price and that’s it. There is also a common idea that healthy food is not favorable among children in schools; this is not true and was proven wrong by the study in the University of Minnesota. It is just because it is not offered to them and they were not familiar with that kind of food. So why cannot we save our children’s health and let them live a healthy life?
Works Cited
Brody, Jane E. "When School is Out, Getting Good Food in." New York Times 156.53973 (2007): F7-.
Devi, Sharmila. "Progress on Childhood Obesity Patchy in the USA." Lancet 371.9607 (2008): 105-6.
"Healthy Foods do Sell: Study." American School Board Journal 195.1 (2008): 8-.
Hein, Kenneth. "Report: Consumers Split on Ad Limits." Brandweek 48.30 (2007): 4-.
Linn, Susan E. "Food Marketing to Children in the Context of a Marketing Maelstrom." Journal of public health policy 25.3/4 (2004): 367-78.
Marilyn Elias. "Pediatricians Call for Less Advertising to Children." USA Today
"School Dinner Awards to Celebrate Healthy Primary Schools." Education (14637073).223 (2006): 3-.
Shlosser, Eric. Fast Food nation. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.
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