Is anyone else getting annoyed at fast food advertising targeted towards children?

[Anonymous]

I know I'm younger to be a mother and I guess most people don't have children yet but will at some point, so you will have to face that issue then too. And I really think our government should do something about it

I just feel like you have to make an enormous effort to feed your children healthy. I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old and when I get groceries they're nagging all the time.

It seems like almost everything that is unhealthy is targeted specifically towards children. Like they usually have comics on them or they come with little toy. Fast food restaurant have those playgrounds, so you really have to try hard to keep your kids away from it.

I wouldn't give my children any fast food at all but apparently "all the other moms do" so they started to demand it.

We've come up with rules, like he's only allowed to eat 1/2 cup of candies every week, no cereal for breakfast, no nutella or peanut butter and yam only if it's homemade. We go out to eat only once a month to restaurant of his choice. And I feel for a 4 year old that's really pushing it but it's so hard to keep children away from unhealthy food, it's everywhere.

We have a big garden and I recently started growing some veggies, fruits and herbs there. My grandparents were really big on that back in France, so I picked up a few things. I feel it is really helping them to get a more healthy relationship to food but they still want their Oreo cookies, lucky charms or, my personal horror, those nestle magic straws.

[luzianne555]

No cereal for breakfast?

No peanut butter?

You'll find few things better for you than peanut butter. It has a high caloric value, decent amount of good proteins, and what, Iron, Vitamin E, and Niacin? All of which are great for you. It does have a high amount of fat, but most of it is not saturated fat.

And Diets are only as unhealthy as you make them. Your kids could eat McDonalds chicken nuggets every day and if they take a multi-vitamin they would be healthy.

Though, I will admit, I've never been a huge fan of vitamin supplements. I'll eat out at least 5 days a week, and often twice on some of those days. I also have 2-3 bowls of cereal each morning, along with 2/3rds of a cup of peanut butter(for extra calories). 28-inch waist, and I can run 2 miles in 12:15. I would love for the fast food to allow me to gain weight, but it doesn't.

Having fast food will not make them unhealthy, unless they have no exercise(loled, kids with no exercise), or they don't take any sort of vitamins. Heck, you can get the full amount of most daily recommended vitamins/minerals from a single meal if you plan it correctly.

As far as the government 'censoring' it. No. F***no actually. That would simply be another step in taking away our first amendment rights.

[Asker]

I'm sorry if what you're diet does not fulfill all your vitamin requirments, you're not eating right. If they have to take suppelemnts to be healthy you're obviously doing something wrong.

And yes eating a lot of fast food will make them unhealthy even if they stay slim ,as most children do, it's almost a gurantee for diabetis and heart issues later in life

[luzianne555]

I'm just going to have to guess at what you're saying, as it makes no sense in the slightest. If I'm correct in guessing, this is how I would respond.

"Though, I will admit, I've never been a huge fan of vitamin supplements."

I don't take vitamins. As I said, 'you can get the full amount of most daily recommended vitamins/minerals from a single meal '

Do you know any of the 'science' behind your claims? I don't believe you do.

[Asker]

I do, sure 'you can get the full amount of most daily recommended vitamins/minerals from a single meal, but barley with fast food restaurants.

All I'm saying is if you have to take suppelments to be healthy you're obviously doing something wrong because you said "Your kids could eat McDonalds chicken nuggets every day and if they take a multi-vitamin they would be healthy."

I don't want my kids to be healthy to suppelments that's stupid

[Konnour]

There's nothing wrong with peanut butter.

But anyway - do keep your kids away from the bad stuff as long as you can. As soon as they'll hit their teens, it will be too late to change anything, so until then it's your time.

It's been proven that parents are able to raise their kids only until the age of 7, that after it they are too resistant to sudden changes of demands, aka they already are "formed"

...just the same way is about animals - you can teach a pup or a kitten how to behave but no longer you can teach a grown cat or dog the same.

And your kids will appreciate it, even if they won't be aware at all what you did, if because of your actions they won't become fat, unlike their soon-to-be fat-ass peers, whose mothers said it's OK to eat that stuff.

About the advertising, business is cruel, it doesn't care about the well-being of people, it cares about selling, even if what they sell is sh*t.

However - you as a customer, you living in a non-totalitarian regime have the choice what to buy and what not to buy, and if you choose not to buy - their advertising efforts have utterly failed.

[Asker]

I didn't know it was only until 7. I thought I had a bit longer.

I know buisness cares about profits only, that's why the government should rgulate some things

[Konnour]

If you live in the USA it's very unlikely it will happen, as not just business owners but the people in general then will scream: "omg, communism, omg"

[Asker]

ya I know that's annoying too, that was way different back home. I don't know , I just don't get sometimes

[Konnour]

Take care of your own family, of your own kids, regardless what other families or what the government is doing or not doing.

[madmisskelly]

I feel your pain, but don'r expect it to change anytime soon. Advertisers do this on purpose.

Firstly, they hope to get kids hooked early. McDonalds is a perfect example. Many people have fond memories of playing in the play place, ordering a happy meal, etc from a young age. These positive associations make you much more likely to eat McDonalds as an adult.

Other advertising towards children ensures that the kids will want it so bad that they bug their parents, who eventually get worn down enough that they buy it.

You're doing the right thing though by growing your own veggies and not going towards fast food!

[Anonymous]

well I just don't buy the fast food, I feel sorry for kids who have parents that feed them that stuff

[moaterboat]

I don't mean to offend, but I really hate that attitude. Specifically, the whole "I have a problem, let's have the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT fix it" They screw up pretty much everything they try to do.

It sounds like you are doing a great job of trying to raise your kids to have healthy lifestyles. Sure they still want Oreos, but give it time. It will take several years, but I'm sure your message will sink in. It sounds like you are doing a great job of being a mother. The last thing you need is help from a bloated, incompetent, clueless organization like the federal government.

[martyfellow]

Good for you for not letting advertisers run, and RUIN, your children's health. Get angry with them when they nag you..or they'll never give up and you will probably give in at some point when you are tired. Get angry enough so they are afraid to nag you about the fast food items.

Tell them NEVER to tell you 'all the moms do it' because that's a lie. They may see 'all the moms' on TV do it..but there are more and more like you who are taking a stand on this.

Hang in there..try to find others who think like you. It shouldn't be hard these days.

[kairon156]

I only go out to fast food like one or 2 maybe 3 times a month I would rather eat at home than go out most of the time. I think once a month is too little for a child but I see so many fat children that I'm glad you are making an effort, I just hope it doesn't push them away oh make sure to throw out the health rules when it's on their birthday.

I don't eat very healthy but I try not to eat too much junk/crap food and make myself eat veggies every once in a while, so it might not be good to take my advice too seriously.

[TheUglyOne]

Annoyed is the more accurate word for me, but I don't let it bother me. Simply be the parent, don't fall for the marketing ploys. Sure kids will get upset and maybe even have a tantrum, but believe me, when they get hungry, they will eat the healthy foods you give them.

[Anonymous]

Why does every one want the govt to do more for them? The more you let the govt do things for you, the more laws the will pass, and the more restrictions they will put on everyone, and guess what happens then, prices from apples to hamburgers sky rocket, because companies get penalized from the govt, and they jack the prices up.

You can give your kid a cookie, it won't kill them, as long are you not letting them eat cookies all day every day.

[XcessiveDreamer]

Well seeing the kids options on fast food now compared to to when I was little as least the fast food people are making some form of progress

You can't tell the government to do anything to those to make it stop you can control like you said what your kids eat and how you raise.

Besides everything is good in moderation and some of the stuff you mentioned are very good and you could just get less suger low fat or organic version if you are concerned.

[Anonymous]

get your life together and be a mom and be in control of your kids. you make the rules not them. fwiw I've eaten all those evil high sugar high fat foods my entire life and am very healthy. its nothing new w advertising like that so I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

since when was peanut butter bad? and why no cereal?

[Izzy2102]

cereal is pretty much just sugar, even those fitness flakes. Muesli is a bit better but a lot of brands still add a lot of sugar.

Peanut butter consists of peanuts,sugar, oil and a handfull of chemicals. Peatnuts naturally contain a lot of fat, plus the oil and sugar, it just adds up to be a lot. Even worse for children I would think

[Opinion Owner]

fat is not bad for you especially natural fats in legumes. same for sugar...its in fruit naturally & why they taste good. I've eaten peanut butter and whole milk my entire life and am in great shape even slightly underweight. and my mom let me eat happy meals when they still came in the red box with a toy.

[Asker]

well there is nothing wrong with eating a happy meal every once in a while but slim doesn't mean healthy. The amount of sugar is minimal compared to I don't know cookies , cereal or peanut butter. Contrary to a common believe peanut butter is not that healthy, sure there are some proteins in it but you can get that my eating lean meat, tofu, plain yoghurt or just peanuts (or other nuts) too without the addtional oil and sugar

[Opinion Owner]

so make your own PB its easy and your kid will likely eat that more willingly than most other things. not saying slim = healthy but was making the point that fast food doesn't make you fat or unhealthy but I am healthy & slim while eating fast food at least once a week. its about balance & more importantly portion control which is the biggest issue people have...the idea of 'starving kids in africa' and the 'clean plate club' have created the wrong idea for generations in the usa

[Anonymous]

You're already doing good things using your own intuition, the last thing needed is government intervention. If people truly want any kind of power then stop relying on government regulations to 'protect' people from themselves. Based on our government's performance for the last several years they mess up more of what they get involved in as opposed to helping anyway. Less government, more power to the people.

[voit3]

I don't think the government needs to do anything. It should be people's responsibility.

[voit3]

The only thing food vendors should be required to do is print truthful contents of their food. The nutritional labels.

[Asker]

Well adults can be responsible but children are much more responsive to this kind of advertising and they don't care about nutritional labels.

And the idea of those commericals is to make children want it, so they nag their parents until they give in and I don't think that's right

[voit3]

I don't think the issue of nagged parents should be up to laws. Might as well have the government take the children and raise them.

[Anonymous]

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=E_mfUmyyjJQ

[Ryanatix]

Its illegal to do that in Britain

[Asker]

Idk who gave you the down vote, of course I don't know the british law on that but I think germany, sweden, norway and france have laws like that too. It was all about one Mcdonalds commercial that encouraged children to cut their hair themselves and a lot of kids did, so their governments passed some laws on that and that's a very reasonable thing to do

[Ryanatix]

I had to look into such laws fo some of my Business Studeis coursework and over here it is illegal to aim fast food products or products high in sugar at children, which is why most fast food chains star young adults in their adverts or MacDonalds advertise a fruit bag with children. But we have a compnay called the ASA which you can report adverts to if you don't agree with them, is there nothing like that in your country?