JUNK FOOD ADS.   Term Paper ID:15686 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Pros & cons of commercials aimed at young children. First Amendment, ethical & health issues. Popularity of junk food, vulnerability of children to ad messages, products, research.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Pros & cons of commercials aimed at young children. First Amendment, ethical & health issues. Popularity of junk food, vulnerability of children to ad messages, products, research. Paper Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pros and cons of junk-food ads targeted at children under 10. Each year American's consume millions of dollars of what has come to be known as "junk food." The crowds of people that line up at fast-food restaurants to buy Big Macs and Whoppers are evidence that these products are growing in popularity. Americans have discovered the appeal of fast food. It is convenient (you don't need to cook or wait for hours to be served), it is relatively inexpensive, it has a pleasing flavor, and it does fill you up. Fast foods are just one form of junk food. There are also the sugary cereals such as Frosted Flakes and Sugar Pops, dessert snacks such as Twinkies and cupcakes, and the salted snacks such as potato chips and Doritos. Many of these products have been around for a long time, some more than 20 years. The sweet Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The harm caused by junk food--heartdisease, cancer, obesity, poor nutritional habits--is well documented. Without enough exercise, the children gain weight. Thevulnerability of children under 1 to advertising also weighs against suchads. Madison Avenue took his advice to heart, and today the Saturdaymorning cartoons are saturated with ads for all kinds of kids' products.The most numerous ads are for toys, ranging from dolls and stuffed animalsto robots and war-like machine guns. Researchers explained thisdifference as resulting from the older kids being able to overcome theimmediate ffect of the commercial and make choices consistent with theirbeliefs. Bibliography"Advertising: The Young and the Vulnerable." Psychology Today, May1984, 16."Fast Foods Are a Way of Life--and Death." Science Digest, April1986, 34-36."Kid's TV: Fewer Words from Our Sponsor." Psychology Today, July1985, 18.Packard, Vance. There are two reaasons. The kids can have their cheeseburgersand fries; the diet-conscious adults can order the salad. Many of these products have been around for a long time, somemore than 2 years. It is much easier tostop at McDonald's or rip open a bag of potato chips. [9]Ibid. The children, having seen the same ads over andover, beg their parents to buy the products. A Frosted Flakes eater at 6 is a Frosted Flakes eater for life, orso they hoped. [6]Ibid., 77. For example, the saturated fatsfound in many fast-food products have been linked to heart disease,arteriosclerosis, and some forms of cancer. However, the underlying factor in the popularityof junk foods is the advertising. . Many fast-foodrestaurants cook with beef tallow because it is inexpensive and doesn'tbreak down at high temperatures. A single fast-food meal often has 67 grams of fat or more. While people of all ages are targets for advertisers, children under1 are a special market for the "hidden persuaders." Packard, citing thestudy of the basic changes taking place in the American character duringthe twentieth century, noted that "our growing perception with acts ofconsumption . McDonald's claims to use only thefreshest ingredients and high-qulaity 1 percent beef. Nor isthe danger for these children confined to the present. Many providehigh percentages of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins, and mosthave at least 2 percent fiber, which many scientists believe can helpreduce the risk of cancer. Cereal may be less of a junk food than the fast foods. One reason is today's fast-paced lifestyle. In 1984, McDonald's, BurgerKing and Wendy's spent $457 million on network and local televisionadvetising.[6] These ads, which appear frequently during children'sprogramming, are trying to de-emphasize the negative aspects of theirproduct and emphasize the positive. [1 ]"Kid's TV: Fewer Words from Our Sponsor," Psychology Today (July1985): 18.----------------------- 12 The study concluded that thetendency for obesity increased about 2 percent for each additional hour ofTV watching. [3]Ibid. Many of them do have fiber, protein, and some of the vitaminsrecommended by the USDA. Billions of dollars are spenteach year by advertisers in an attempt to push their products. Each year American's consumemillions of dollars of what has come to be known as "junk food." Thecrowds of people that line up at fast-food restaurants to buy Big Macs andWhoppers are evidence that these products are growing in popularity.Americans have discovered the appeal of fast food. They point out thatthe cereals, snacks and fast foods either have no nutritional value or areactually harmful to children's physical and psychological health. While children of all ages are susceptible to these junk-food ads, itis the children 1 and under who are especially vulnerable. They trust theadvertising heroes such as Tony the Tiger more than they do many realadults. Children's programming is alsosponsored by makers and sellers of junk food. Americans are bombarded daily with TVand radio ads for all kinds of junk foods, especially fast foods. There are fourreasons for this greater vulnerability. Self-restraint by theadvertisers, while a positive step, does not go far enough. The critics of the junk-food ads have gathered evidence to supporttheir claims that these foods are harmful. The study followed up on kidsin the first age group when they reached the second group in order tocompare their levels of activity and obesity. [2]Ibid., 57. It must be argued that the right of free speech is not absolute;people must exercise self-restraint. It is also another form of empty calories,which can lead to weight gain. Each child was also evaluated for obesity according tothe thickness of the skin on the upper arm. Therefore, ethical advertisers,recognizing the dangers of junk food, should refrain from promoting suchproducts on children's programming. Theadvertisers offer this as proof that they are ethical and responsible andthat federal regulation is not required. After being asked about theirpreferences for seven types of snack foods, both groups reported that theythought Choco-nuts would taste good. Fast foods are just one form of junk food. Thus, sugary cereals and sugar snacks likecandy bars may contribute to obesity in childrn, a growing problem intoday's video generation. Despite the criticisms of fast food, the big chains continue to spendmillions of dollars each year on advertising. The refined sugar added to thecereals and the dessert foods is bad for your teeth and may be the cause ofcertain types of cancer. Just as advertisers in general have been attacked for manipulatingadults into buying their products, so are they criticised for theirattempts to manipulate the tastes and desires of children. They are merely making thepublic aware of their products and the advantages of them. Another reason for the labeling of these foods as "junk foods" isthat in some cases they can actually be detrimental to the consumer'shealth. The critics are not convinced by these arguments. For example, a single serving ofpotato chips has approximately 16 calories, a sodium content of around 8 mgs., and a high percentage of fat. Researchers have found that children who watch many hours of TV aremore likely to be obese. This ability to respond to criticism and regulate themselves is thebasis of the advertiser's defense of kidvid commercials. It is convenient (youdon't need to cook or wait for hours to be served), it is relativelyinexpensive, it has a pleasing flavor, and it does fill you up. If junk foods are so harmful, why does their popularity continue togrow? The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pros and cons of junk-food ads targeted at children under 1 . In fact, "television watching as a predictor of obesityranked only second to previous obesity."[7] One obvious explanation for this finding is that kids who watch a lotof TV are less active and therefore burn off fewer calories. Researchers at the University of Wisconson and NorthwesternUniversity came to this conclusion after testing two groups of children,24 fourth-graders and 32 eighth-graders. Psychologically,junk food tends to be more satisfying. The ads prompt the children to eat more of the wrongkinds of food. A child accustomedto snacking on junk food is apt to continue that habit as an adult. The Hidden Persuaders. However, many of those commercialson the children's programming (or "kidvid") are not. They tend to pay moreattention to the ads, which are loud and colorful. A study by Tufts University professors collecteddata on two large groups of children, ages 6 to 11 and 12 to 17. . Furthermore, thefact that the number of such ads has been reduced does not make the kidsany less susceptible when they do come on. [4]Daniel Levy, "Fast Foods Are a Way of Life - and Death," ScienceDigest (April 1986): 35. There are also the sugarycereals such as Frosted Flakes and Sugar Pops, dessert snacks such asTwinkies and cupcakes, and the salted snacks such as potato chips andDoritos. Daniel Levy, director of thecardiovascular laboratory at the Framingham Heart Study in Massachusetts,says that, for many people, fast foods such as hamburgers and french fries"are a way of life -and death."[4] The reason for this alarming statementis the high amount of saturated fat in these foods. [7]"Widebodies," Health (October 1985): 18. The younger kids chose Choco-nuts astheir reward over such traditional favorites as M&M's and chocolate chipcookies more often than did the older kids. All of these substances, apart from their other harmfuleffects, have been linked directly to obesity. Recent studies also suggest a correlation between highlevels of dietary fat and certain forms of cancer. Perhaps thiswould not be a problem if all the ads were for products children actuallyneed for their health and development. Children are vulnerable to the ads, andparents are vulnerable to thier children's wants and desires.Therefore, they argue that the commercials are unethical. The sweet foods, in particular, are popular amongchildren, though adults also consume their share of Twinkies and FrostedFlakes. Why are these food products, which have been around for so long andwhich are so popular, called "junk food"? One isthat many of the sugary and salty snacks contain little more than "emptycalories." This means that they fill the person up and cause weight gainbut have little or no nutritional value. Many of these foods have high concentrations of substances thathave been linked to various diseases. [8]"Advertising: The Young and Vulnerable," Psychology Today (May1984): 16. Comparatively, the amount of vitaminsand nutrients is small or non-existant. The advertisements claiming high quality andfreshness are not likely to impress children under 1 , but the adults whohear the commercials may be more willing to take the family to McDonald'sfor a meal, given these assurances. The reason, researchers suggested, is an inactive child in frontof the TV is bombarded with ads for food, especially the junk foods thatcan lead to obesity. Sugar, salt and fat are addictivesubstances that seem to fill a momentary psychological need and leave theperson craving for more. Thechildren and their parents filled out questionnaires on the time spent onvarious activities. The younger children lack comparative skills, especially whenthe choices are so similar, making them more vulnerable to commercials.[9] Based on the evidence from these studies, commercials have come underheavy criticism from consumer advocates for promoting potentially harmfulproducts to young children who are highly vulnerable to such persuasion.In response to this criticism, programmers have reduced the number ofminutes devoted to commercials on Saturday morning children's programs.Whereas commercials accounted for 2 percent of Saturday morning viewingtime in 1971 and 16 percent in 1975, the Cornell University study foundthat this figure had dropped to 12 percent in 1988.[1 ] The content ofcommercials as well as the amount also has changed. [5]Ibid., 36. Those who are aware of the harmfuleffects are under enormous pressure created by the ads to give in to theirchildren's demands for junk food. The sugary cereals do littlebetter. McDonald's, Burger King,General Foods and Kellog's are just a few. They recentlyexpanded their menu to include several kinds of salads, which alledgedlyare made fresh all day. It is the jobof the parents to help choose the products that are best for their kids.If they do not want their kids to have junk food, they should not buy itfor them. Salt, or sodium, is harmful to everyone in largequantities, especially those with heart problems, kidney problems, and highblood pressure. The NIH recommendsa daily intake of fat around 67 grams, which would mean the averageAmerican would need to reduce his or her fat intake by approximately 25percent. The younger kids are less able todistinguish between a commercial and a program. The parents give in oftenenough to make the ads profitable. In his 1957 book,The Hidden Persuaders, Vance Packard examined the "large scale effortsbeing made, often with impressive success, to channel our unthinkinghabits, our purchasing decisions, and our thought processes by the use ofinsights gleaned from psychiatry and the social sciences."[1] The kind ofmass media manipulation of people's tastes and buying habits has beenrefined to a science over the past 3 years. They are less aware that ads are trying to persuade them to wantthe certain product.[8] While older kids may understand the purpose ofadvertising and therefore be more resistant to it, young kids are apt totake ads on blind faith. Forexample, a Big Mac has about 34 and a double Whopper has 61; a regularorder of McDonald's french fries has 11.5 grams.[5] The health hazard in a diet with a high percentage of fat is theincrease of cholesterol in the blood, which can lead to arteriosclerosisand heart attacks. Kids who sit in front of the TVand watch cartoons and reruns of old sitcoms for three or four hours onSaturday morning or after school on weekdays are bombarded with ads forMcDonald's "Happy Meals," and for all types of sugary cereals, such as CocoPuffs and Fruit Loops. There are many reasons. To critics who point out thatthey still run commercials for junk food, the advertisers reply that theyhave the right of free speech and competition in the open marketplace.They don't force anyone to buy their products. Since Japanis an industrialized nation with environmental pollution, scientists haveconcluded that fat may be the leading factor causing this difference. Sugar does make the cereal more appealing tochildren, but it can have harmful effects on their health. According to the National Institute ofHealth, the problem with using beef tallow for cooking is that it adds fatto the American diet, which is already too high in fat. The problem with many cereals on the market istheir high sugar content. Because of theconcern of parents, educators and health officials about the effect of junk-food ads on children under 1 , the advertisers voluntarily cut down thenumber of ads and geared them away from harmful junk-food products. Advertising of all kinds has come under attack for its manipulationof the public into buying what it does not need or want. In weighing the pros and cons of junk-food commercials during youngchildren's programming, the forces claiming the ads are unethical wouldseem to have a stronger argument. It is also flavorful and makes the foodmore appealing to the customers. New York: David McKayCompany, 1957."Widebodies." Health, October 1985, 18.----------------------- [1]Vance Packard, The Hidden Persuaders (New York: David McKayCompany, 1957), 3. Fewer commercials in1988 promoted sugary cereals and snacks as compared to 1 years before.Thus, children are exposed to fewer commercials in general, and of the onesthey do see, there are few junk-food ads. They point outthat not all parents have the wisdom or insight to understand the harm thatjunk food can cause their children. was particularly intense (and intensively encouraged byproduct makers) at the moppet level."[2] In the study, American childrenwere characterized as "'consumer trainees.'"[3] Advertisers were beingurged to condition the reflexes of children to desire a certain brand nameso that they will insist that their parents buy that brand and no other.By creating a demand for their products among children, advertisers werealso conditioning lifetime buying habits that would mean profits in thefuture. But this doesnot explain why other quieter activities such as reading did not lead toobesity. Ahigh-fat diet may also lead to obesity, which increases the risk of heartdisease, diabetes, and possibly some forms of cancer. In Japan, where the dietof most people is lower in fat than that of Americans, the incidence ofbreast, colon, prostate and pancreatic cancer is also lower. People no longer have the time (or want to make the time) to shop forfresh, nourishing foods and prepare them at home. The eating patternslearned in childhood are carried over into adulthood. Sugar can leadto tooth decay and cavities. Thisbombardment only serves to intensify the cravings and reinforce the junk-food habit. However, they also have a high sugar content.Therefore, people who eat them for breakfast are getting a lot of sugarthat they don't need along with the vitamins and nutrients. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.