Today I will talk about how; the promotion of junk food advertised towards the younger generation of Australians is affecting their health dramatically. How Children do not have the capacity to resist the influence of junk food advertising and are therefore being manipulated to pester their parents for it. How what we see on advertisements are majority of the time all lies and also the fact that children are exposed to junk food advertisements everywhere not just during their TV programs so will it really change?
Firstly, I shall be talking about how the promotion of junk food advertised towards the younger generation of Australians is affecting their health dramatically. According to the ‘Australian Medical Association’ almost a quarter of Australians children and adolescents are overweight, with approximately one in four being obese. This indicates that something needs to be done to reduce these numbers. As food marketed towards children is typically high in processed energy dense and nutrient poor products, the companies are promoting food that will not provide the nutrient requirements to live a healthy life. This unhealthy balance of nutrition is a major contributor to obesity rates in children. By reducing the amount of promotion for junk food consumption in kids we will be able to reduce the percentage of children becoming overweight or obese.
Another problem is that children do not have the capacity to resist the influence of junk food advertising and are therefore being manipulated to pester their parents for it. I know for a fact that whenever I go to the shops and see something I saw on tv I strait away turn to mum and pester her to buy it for me and I’m sure it’s for all parents, that they waste their money on toys, entertainment and worst of all junk food. Food companies continue to use this method of advertising during kids programs as they know it works. The ads create little notes in kids’ minds that it’s something they need to have. Professor Simone Pettigrew, from the UWA Business School claims that currently, 97% of all food advertised to children is classified as unhealthy and I believe this should be changed. Alternative solutions to reduce the amount of junk food advertised would be promote take away such as subway which is a healthier option and tastes good as a fast food product. Other options is for companies such as McDonalds to promote there healthier options such as apple slices more on commercial tv as it would be much more beneficial to Australia’s health and parents will feel much more happy to buy the products.
One of the problems with junk food advertising is that majority of the time what they saying about their products to kids are all lies. We are constantly told through McDonald’s ads that they have healthy burgers with freshly sliced tomato and real meat. But really majority of the time it’s all just lies and claiming a false sense of what is healthy and what is not. I’m sure a lot of you in this room go to McDonald regularly and eat some of the food we see on their ads. And let me give you a little heads up about the eggs used in the egg McMuffin… well it not actually egg.. It’s a combination of chemicals to make a replica of an egg for a cheaper price, and this is just one example of the lies we are told on the TV commercials. Another example is companies advertising breakfast cereals claim that they are healthy and are perfect to get your going in the morning but really these products are high in sugar and are not giving the viewers the realistic truth. These are both reasons why banning junk food ads during children’s TV programs would help prevent kids from being convinced that junk food is what they need.
The question is, that by reducing the amount of junk food advertised turning children’s TV programs, will it really prevent kids being exposed to the promotion elsewhere? Kids targeted everywhere, billboards in the city, on the internet, in magazines, at sporting events and on other shows on tv that might not be specifically for kids.
I believe that although we can’t stop all junk food ads been advertised where kids can see them, I think that TV is the main place for companies to advertise their products and by banning that exposer its gets Australia one step closer to a healthier young generation.
We need to understand that this ongoing issue of obesity in the younger generation will only get worse unless we put a stopped junk food ads during kids TV programs. Children are an able to make informed decisions about whether these foods advertised to them are what are best for their health and its putting stress on the parents. There are too many lies involved with the advertisement industry and its giving people false ideas about what they are paying to eat, and all though kids are exposed to advertisements not just on TV, by banning the main place for companies to influence views it will make a impact on the younger generation. Junk food advertisement during kids TV programs are really effecting our youth in negative ways and by getting the government to introduce striker laws and restrictions are on the way to a healthier country.
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