According to research from 2005, our kids spend 3 hours per day viewing television and 6.5 hours per day in front of media. 80% of the food ads kids see are for unhealthy foods. Those food ads your children watch on TV may be taking a toll on their nutrition. Many are high in fat, sugar, sodium and/or calories. Does TV Influence your Child's Food Decisions? Check out the following link for more information: TV Time
Food Advertising Strategies: Heart Strings-ads that draw you into a story and make you feel good like the McDonald's commercial where a son treats his dad to lunch after shoveling snow. Cartoon Characters-Tony the Tiger sells cereals and the Nestle's Quick Bunny sells chocolate milk. Kids identify with cartoon characters....Captain Crunch versus Kashi......What would you choose if you were 5 years old? Sugar over Nutrition Sells! Weasel Words-advertisers can be misleading with words in commercials like "Part of a ....." "Natural..." "New, better tasting...." or "Because we care....." Pop tarts may claim to be "part" of a healthy breakfast but that Pop tart alone won't cut it.
Parental influence on your child's choices may stem from more than being a healthy role model. Read this short article on rewarding and disciplining your child with food for more information: Not-So-Sweet Rewards
Have you ever thought about how many food advertisements you encounter each day?
This is interesting on two levels--on a food/nutrition level as well as a how-kids-spend-their-free-time level. I work for a non-profit nature education organization that focuses on getting kids outdoors instead of inside watching TV and playing video games, etc. If kids are playing outside, they're not exposed to TV ads--and they're also getting exercise, breathing fresh air, and learning about their local landscapes. I wonder what a difference parents could make in their children's food decisions if they limited TV/media time and encouraged their kids to play outdoors instead? Yes, a challenging thing to do in this age of big-screen TVs, Wiis, etc. . . .
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