Advertisment

Food and beverage advertising is frequently aired during children’s television programming and much of the foods being advertised are of poor quality. Research shows that 27.3% of children with a TV in their bedroom are overweight, as compared with 17.7% of children who do not have a TV in their bedroom. According to Reboot.fcc.org "Children today spend as much as four and a half hours each day watching television and are influenced by the programming and advertising they see. In 2010, one out of every three American children is obese or overweight. As childhood obesity rises, there is an opportunity for the FCC to examine the impact of the media and children's television programming on this growing health concern." As the amount of media children consume continues to increase, so does children's exposure to advertising and food marketing. Studies show that unlike adults, children can have a hard time distinguishing between programming content and advertising.While the direct relationship between food marketing and childhood obesity has yet to be established, the federal government can take several steps to help improve the media environment for our children and promote healthier lifestyles.