This is a response
article written for the editorial piece by Catherine Musemeche.
“Last weekend I met a couple whose children are not permitted to discuss movies or video games at school. The children don’t watch television, have limited computer access and have only seen movies pre-screened by their parents. There was a time when I might have viewed these restrictions as a bit excessive, but not anymore. With what’s being thrown at kids through media exposure these days, I’m all in with an environment that seeks to filter some of it. As a doctor who treats children, many of whom are overweight or obese, I don’t think there can be much doubt that child-directed advertising is fueling the obesity epidemic. Now, a recently published University of British Columbia study supports that theory with findings that suggest that banning fast-food advertising to children may actually curtail obesity.”
To start, I think that this theory is absolutely one-sided, with only a few solid points of argument. The article is based on the study by UBC which focuses makes use of Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act that was enacted in 1980. This Act stops any advertising both in print and electronic that is directed at children to be shown. During children’s programming only PSA’s and adult-targeted commercials may be shown.
It’s stated that children who see fast food ads are 50 percent more likely to eat fast food, which I can agree with, the media is supplying us with an alternative and really, have you seen a brussel sprout? I think that this fact alone has people taking one of three paths; BAN IT ALL! EVERYTHING! ALL OF IT!, I don’t really care about this and where I stand, this fact makes me realize we need to promote media literacy.
Yes, obesity rates are high, I don’t dispute that and childhood obesity is massive right now no thanks in part to the media. Coupled with this massive push for a healthy lifestyle I think we also need to be pushing for media literate children as well. The case was made that when smoking was found to cause cancer all the advertising was banned and yet in movies and television shows characters smoking is still massively abundant and popular. Why? Because people smoke in real life! Media/ advertising is meant to mimic real life to show something attainable because other people are doing it. Does every single person solely decide to eat health constantly? No! McDonald’s wouldn’t be this corporate giant if that were the case!
Advertisers are made out to be these bad people that solely exist to sway you into ruining your life, like you don’t have any free will in the matter. For children this is made especially clear and to that I ask, where are the parents and support stepping in to teach children to be media literate? We think that advertising is one of the greatest causes of this pandemic of obesity when in reality it’s the lack of knowledge in what makes media. It’s simple to just take something away from children and be able to say, “look rates dropped!” Of course they did! There was nothing there to make them want it, but what happens when they see their family member, teacher or coach eating fast food? What happens when they see a real life individual eating unhealthy? What are we doing to teach children all-encompassing strategies to make good life decisions? Not that much, save for pointing the finger at the “bad guys.”
For this couple that was mentioned above, dear lord. I agree in the monitoring and limiting of television and computer time, I was when I was a kid because that’s a skill we need to learn as children; moderating our sitting time, but cutting everything out including conversation. Pre-screening movies? Yes you’re not going to allow your child to go see something that’s rated R, but shoving your child into a bubble for their childhood only serves to never allow these kids to develop a thick skin against the media and media content until they move out. What happens when a kid who is always told no for television, movies, computer time gets left to their own devices? They go nuts! Working in a college residence that’s painfully clear in the students who have never drank before in the first night. They have no ability to know where there limit is and at 2 am they’re hugging a toilet thinking that they’re driving a bus (true story!)
I think a major example of this is Cookie Monster. I loved Sesame Street growing up but a few years back it was decided that Cookie Monster didn’t eat healthy enough and thus was swindling kids into solely wanting to eat cookies! Growing up on Sesame Street for years it was a sad day when not even the loveable muppet could eat his cookies without being vessel for childhood obesity. So my question is where is the media literacy in that? Growing up I loved Cookie with his crazy antics but I also knew that if I didn’t eat my peas and carrots that cookie wasn’t happening.
Yes, the obesity epidemic needs to be addressed and banning kid-commercials may very well be the way to cutting that back, but what kids don’t get from commercials and ads they will get from television, movies, music and real life. I’m not saying that we need to ban off those, by far the opposite; we need to educate children to become media literate, free thinking kids on their way to making good choices for their future.
Information taken from the article “Ban on Advertising to Children Linked to Lower Obesity Rates by Catherine Musemech
No comments:
Post a Comment