The Mixed Message to Kids

THE MIXED MESSAGE TO KIDS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Kevin Downey]
Balancing responsible, educational topics with advertising for products that many educators or nutritionists believe aren't good for kids is a topic just about as old as television itself. The first critics of children's TV used to howl about kid-show hosts who cajoled tykes to get their parent to buy them some sugary product. It's an even bigger issue today. What's the best way to strike a healthy balance between how TV educates and markets to its most impressionable demographic? Is television doing enough to police itself, or should more be done? The answer depends upon whom you ask. Family-friendly networks continue to pump out a steady stream of politically correct content, while launching a slew of education- and health-related outreach initiatives. And yet obesity continues to skyrocket among America's youth. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report that, since 1980, the obesity rate has tripled among adolescents and doubled among younger kids. In May, the FTC and HHS released recommendations for reworking marketing campaigns geared to kids. “Food companies, including food processors, supermarkets, and fast-food restaurants, and children's-entertainment companies are all very concerned about being blamed for the rising obesity rate in kids,” says Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). “And with good reason: A lot of their products and practices do contribute to kids' poor eating habits.”
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