Unethical Practices in Marketing to Children Essay example

Advertising companies that produce commercials of food are taking an effect of teens healths. Anna Lappe discussed this situation in a video called, Real Food Media Project - Mythbusters Ep.2, she says, “... By the time Ida graduates from middle school one in three of her classmates will either have diabetes or on their way to getting it…” The children of this world are being affected by the foods that they are eating, these children are eating harmful products that can affect their health later on in their life. Another statement Anna Lappe discusses in her video is, “... only 16%...” of these kids are eating fruits and vegetables.

In like manner, health risks in youth have become alarmingly higher in recent years. In fact, in “ Anna Lappe & Food MythBusters--The Myth of Choice: How Junk-Food Marketers Target Our Kids” the video clearly states that by the time children graduate middle school one in three of their classmates will either have diabetes or be on their way to having it. Reason being, youth are eating more junk food that appeals to their biology and less food that fuels them with right sugars, nutrients, and fats. Additionally, the American Psychological Association have studies that show child obesity has tripled in the last quarter century and about 20% of the youth are now overweight. All these health risks point to fast-food company

Children spend nearly $30 billion of their own money on junk food. Marion Nestle stated on https://www.nejm.org that, “The food companies make misleading claims and they spend massive amounts sponsoring scientist and major health organizations to influence their research and guidelines.” Yet, marketing’s recent tactics have gone way further to persuade children. Along with television advertisements, they have shifted to product placements in toys, games, educational materials, songs, movies, and much more. The IOM noted that “…by two years of age most children can recognize products in supermarkets and ask for them by name.” More children are becoming obese and diabetic before they’re old enough to make decisions about these

Parents and guardians are partially to blame because “parents can make an informed decision about the foods they feed their children” (Source E); parents are the ones who choose and buy the food for their children. It is simple for a grown adult to refuse their child’s guilt and make the executive decision: “to reduce kids’ waistlines” (Source E). Along with the everlasting goal to have a striving world, is to have a healthy world, and parents need to take the initiative in order to create a healthy environment for the world’s most important future - the children. An adult has the ability to see past the persuasive advertising techniques which cater so well to young children, so it is their responsibility to protect the younger generations from harmful and unhealthy

Eating a well balanced meal is crucial for someone in their early childhood stage. During this time period, between the ages of two and six, a well-nourished child can grow up to three inches and gain up to four and a half pounds per year (Berger, 2010). Children at this age also need fewer calories per pound of body weight than infants do. Since children need less food than they did before and many do not diminish the intake of their food consumed, obesity becomes a problem. The article “Child and adolescent obesity: a part of a bigger picture” states, “The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has risen substantially worldwide in less than one generation” (Lobstein, 2015). Obesity is a main factor that is present and can lead to other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. The article also states that, “The food industry has a special interest in targeting children. Not only can the companies influence children’s immediate dietary preferences, but they can also benefit from building taste preferences and brand loyalty early in life, which last into adulthood” (Lobstein, 2015). Once children are hooked on the foods they eat during their childhood, they tend to follow those habits as they grow up. Children in low-income families are vulnerable to obesity because they rely on cheap fast food.

Nutrition and eating habits are an obvious reason as to why most children are becoming obese. Only 21 percent of young people eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetable each day, and nearly half of all vegetable servings are fried potatoes. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) French fries are often mistaken for a vegetable, when really they acquire no nutritional value. Parents are replacing fresh vegetables with fried vegetables and assume their children are receiving the daily recommended intake. However, all of the required intakes are falling short. In 1996, only 12 percent of children were getting the daily recommendations for dairy; and only 18 percent were getting their recommended fruit intake. (USDA) The consumption of milk has decreased substantially. The production and popularity of other beverages, such as soda and juice,have taken precedence over milk. In 1977, children drank milk four times more than any other beverage they consumed. (USDA) But that statistic fell to 1.5 times that amount in 1996. (USDA) Sugary,

Nutrition plays an important role in one’s health, an unhealthy diet can be a contributing factor for overall poor health. In fact, it can even lead to numerous enduring illnesses, such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. 2and3 Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, affecting 11.3% of adults or 26.6 million. 4 Childhood obesity has been an increasing issue in the United States as well, There has been a rise in childhood obesity in children ages 6-11 years old gone upldren too many vaccinations at nging. are essential to public health and are also free their children too many vaccinations at from 6.5% to 19.5%. In children ages 12-19 years old it has gone up from 5.0% to 18.1% in 1998-2008. 5 In one study, doctors counseled adults and children on diet and nutrition during 12.2% of all visits in a targeted population of 15.2% in 2007. 6 It is recommended that individuals follow healthy diets that consist of health food choices such as fruits and vegetables. 2and3

Childhood obesity is a source of great debate in the United States. Many studies have shown the problem has become epidemic. Adults in the United States are increasing in weight and so are children and teenagers. Many factors are contributing to this growing problem. The influence parents have on their children can affect them negatively. Children of overweight parents are more likely to be overweight themselves. Another issue adding to the childhood obesity problem is the fact that children and teens have more options when it comes to food choices. School lunches, vending machines, and cheap calorie-packed snacks all contribute to this issue. Healthy foods are also more expensive and not as readily available as

One out of three people in America suffer from obesity; they suffer from large amounts of fat stored and accumulated in their bodies causing them health issues such as gastritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and even cancer. Unhealthy and harmful foods for our bodies are at every corner; ads for fast food are at every road, and TV commercials are full of delicious looking burgers being advertised on a daily basis. It is almost inevitable not to harm one’s body with this unhealthy food everywhere we turn. However, it might be easier not to consume these types of foods if living a healthy lifestyle started with children. At a young age people should be taught and be informed on how to make responsible and healthy choices of what they consume.

When McDonald’s was put on the spot for advertising to children, a spokesperson said, “Ronald McDonald never sells to children… He informs and inspires through magic and fun.” This statement alone builds-up Ronald McDonald. Instead of a marketing strategy, he is an inspirational, magical character, supporting much higher ideals than simply trying to increase sales. McDonald’s is also guilty of not addressing issues. The company will instead draw attention to the Ronald McDonald house, and other good they have done. McDonald’s, like other food companies, employs card stacking to avoid issues and build up their reputation.

Children in America are now facing a growing health epidemic: childhood obesity. As many as 1 out of 6 children are now considered obese, and the number is expected to grow. In fact, if current trends progress, the generation born after 2000 will be the first generation that will be unhealthier than their parents. Along with health risks, the cost of care for the increasing obesity cases is estimated to cost $78 billion in medical expenses (Spradlin 2015). With an increase of obesity and related illnesses, more research is being done to evaluate what is different about the new generation’s lifestyles that have caused such a negative effect on their health. While there is an emphasis being placed on home habits and nutrition, many health

Initially, children’s diets should be regulated, because these days there are too many children facing obesity. To begin with, obesity amongst children continues to grow and it needs to be stopped. Specifically, according to “Time for Kids; Obesity Rates Falling” from 1980 to 2000 the percentage of obese kids in the US ages 9-10 tripled. Obviously, obesity is growing at a much faster rate amongst adolescents so their diets need to be regulated. Additionally, obesity in children can be severely harmful at young age. For instance, being overweight can lead to problems like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It is clear that, if obesity continues with children like this diseases that used to only be common in

There is presently much controversy regarding the idea of unhealthy foods and how companies shamelessly market these products to children. Individuals in the food and beverage industry constantly promote the belief that they are actively involved in providing society with important information concerning what is healthy and what is not. Moreover, most promote their products as having no negative effects on individuals who consume them, as doing otherwise would surely reflect badly on their businesses. It is generally known that children are vulnerable because they have very little experience in filtering information and food companies take advantage of this by introducing diverse methods to promote their products even with the fact that it is likely for children to get sick as a consequence.

Children in the United States are currently considered to be facing an obesity epidemic. Overweight and obese children are diagnosed with a number of health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, Hypertension, Cholesterol and Lipid abnormalities, Hyperinsulinemia and obstructive Sleep Apnea. In her book, Underage and Overweight, Frances M. Berg, a licensed nutritionist and adjunct professor at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine stated that during the 1990s, cases of diagnostic diabetes for all ages rose 33% nationwide. She also explains by 2004 diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and is the main contributor to health problems like heart disease, stroke, blindness, high blood pressure, kidney disease and amputation which occurs with increased frequency in overweight children and adolescents. Although many fast food restaurant businesses argue

Ethical problems in marketing starts with conflicts and disagreements. Each party in the marketing transaction brings expectations of how the business relationship will exist and how the transaction should be conducted. Some ethical problems in marketing research aren’t always the invasion of privacy and stereotyping. Selective marketing is used to discourage the demand from undesirable markets or just by disenfranchising them altogether. Examples of unethical market is the exclusion markets such as gay, ethnic minorities, and plus-size markets.