Radio Commentary
According to a report
by the Kaiser Family foundation, childhood obesity can be linked to television
viewing time — specifically to the 40,000 ads that children see annually on TV.
Children age eight and
younger are very vulnerable, because they have trouble distinguishing between
ads and programs.
The majority of ads targeting children are for candy, cereal,
soda, and fast food. This provides parents with some easy ways to counteract
the effects of advertising:
·
On shopping trips, let your child see that advertising claims are
often exaggerated.
·
Toys that look big, fast, and exciting on the screen may be
disappointingly small, slow, and unexciting close-up.
·
Tell your child that the purpose of advertising is to sell
products to as many viewers as possible.
·
Put advertising disclaimers into words children understand:
“partial assembly required” means “You have to put it together before you can
play with it.”
·
Teach your children about nutrition. If your children can read
package labels, allow them to choose a breakfast cereal from those where sugar
is not one of the first ingredients listed.
These steps can
all have an impact.
