tv marketing junk food to kids

[Guest guest]

Regarding that very interesting article about marketing junk foods

to kids -

I was just wondering, given that a lot of that marketing is

television related, and just wondering in general, what people in

the group felt about tv and children?

I have a toddler, 21 months old, and he doesn't watch any tv. We're

not rabidly anti-tv, we have one in our bedroom, but it is in our

bedroom because we chose not to have one in the main areas of the

house.

My inlaws think this is really odd and we are " depriving " our son of

lots of quality learning time plus the opportunity to become

familiar with the characters his peers are getting into.

I'm not quite ready for my child to become a consumer ...

I don't think tv per se is bad; BUT given that he is an only child

right now and I am at home with him I can engage him in other, even

more stimilating activities.

Reading stuff like this though reminds me of all of the other side

benefits of this decision-

 

How do other folks deal with the tv issue? Do you limit it, or not

have any, or what? What about older kids? Because there seems to be

a huge huge link between junk food and tv, where tv undermines the

healthy messages we try to give our children ...

 

Elizabeth

[Guest guest]

Hi Elizabeth,

Here's my two cents...I have two children ages 6 & 3. We watch very little

TV in general. Occasionally, I let my kids watch PBS - which is

commercial-free and we watch Animal Planet once in a while too. But I

simply cannot stand the commercial stations with their direct marketing to

children. One time my brother-in-law babysat for us and turned on

Nickolodeon. I couldn't believe what my kids were asking for after being

exposed to the commercials. We have a few videos and also borrow them from

the library. I really like Veggie Tales videos - they are entertaining and

have a moral lesson in each of them.

 

When I do encounter advertisements with my kids - it could even be at the

grocery store...I talk to them about it and ask them questions... " What do

you think this ad or commercial is trying to sell? Why are they trying to

get us to buy it? Is this product good for us? Let's read the label... "

 

Bottom line...my perspective is feed them the healthiest of everything, be

it food or entertainment, etc, educate them along the way...and hopefully

their desire for " junk " later in life will be greatly diminished.

 

" Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn

from it. " Proverbs 22:6

 

Connie Bendickson

www.HealthyMomsHealthyFamilies.com

elizabethmaxsmom [elizabethmaxsmom]

Sunday, August 24, 2003 12:55 AM

tv marketing junk food to kids

 

 

Regarding that very interesting article about marketing junk foods

to kids -

I was just wondering, given that a lot of that marketing is

television related, and just wondering in general, what people in

the group felt about tv and children?

I have a toddler, 21 months old, and he doesn't watch any tv. We're

not rabidly anti-tv, we have one in our bedroom, but it is in our

bedroom because we chose not to have one in the main areas of the

house.

My inlaws think this is really odd and we are " depriving " our son of

lots of quality learning time plus the opportunity to become

familiar with the characters his peers are getting into.

I'm not quite ready for my child to become a consumer ...

I don't think tv per se is bad; BUT given that he is an only child

right now and I am at home with him I can engage him in other, even

more stimilating activities.

Reading stuff like this though reminds me of all of the other side

benefits of this decision-

 

How do other folks deal with the tv issue? Do you limit it, or not

have any, or what? What about older kids? Because there seems to be

a huge huge link between junk food and tv, where tv undermines the

healthy messages we try to give our children ...

 

Elizabeth

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi all -

 

I thought I'd chime in since this is a subject I've spent a fair amount of

time thinking about. We have three boys. We do not watch TV at all. We

basically have a TV (in our bedroom) so that we can watch DVDs. Our kids do

not watch TV at all. They are allowed to watch videos on occasion but we

generally only let them watch videos where they are either actively

participating (Children's yoga) or learning something (e.g., Muzzy a set of

videos put together by the BBC to teach children a foreign language).

 

As the result of our decision not to let the kids watch TV and to limit the

use of videos, our life is more complicated. My good friend tells me that

she gets all of her cooking and housework done by " parking " (her word, not

mine) her kids in front of the TV for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in

the late afternoon. Sometimes at 11 pm when I'm cooking the next days

dinner, I've thought about the extra time we would have if we " parked " our

kids in front of a TV as well.

 

By the light of day, though, I am glad that we have made the choices that we

have. My 5 1/2 year old just learned a couple weeks ago that there was a

place called " McDonalds. " My kids have never asked for sugary cereal or any

of the junk that is peddled to kids. I really think that if the kids

watched TV, McDonalds and sugary cereal would have a more prominent place on

their radar screens.

 

I've also been afraid of the " slippery slope. " My friend who has her kids

watch 4 hours of TV a day (and that is in addition to " family viewing " in

the evening) started out by allowing 30 minutes of TV a day. Once the kids

figure out what's on TV, I'm afraid that they would beg to watch TV. Also,

once we stated using TV as the babysitter, I'm afraid we would do it more

and more . . .

 

Another major benefit is that I think comes from eliminating TV is that my

kids are not as desensitized to violence as some of their playmates. For

example, we let my 4 and 5 1/2 year old watch " Finding Nemo " -- they freaked

out because it was too scary. Many of their friends have watched Harry

Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, etc. Those same friends talk about

" killing " all the time, play roughly with toy swords, etc.

 

Finally, because the kids don't watch TV, we have a lot more time to do

other things with them. We play outside, go to the nature center, and teach

them things.

 

Speaking of teaching them things - yes, I have no doubt that there are

educational TV programs that kids can learn from. But kids can learn many

other ways. My 5 1/2 year old reads simple books. Both my 4 year old and 5

year old can do simple addition and subtraction problems. They can count

and say a handful of phrases in different languages. They can identify

quite a few states and countries on a map. So, I don't think they have been

" deprived " by not watching TV.

 

As far as the character recognition goes. Even though they don't watch TV,

my kids know all the characters -- Sponge Bob, Rescue Heroes, Harry Potter,

Buzz Lightyear, etc. How? Well, I buy all of their clothes used at

consignment shops and " kids stuff " sales. The one thing that they get to

buy new are their undies -- so I let them pick out their undies at the store

-- and they have Bob the Builder, Harry Potter, Buzz, Scooby Doo, etc

underwear! I've heard my kids talking to their friends about Buzz Lightyear

and " the space bad guy " (OK, so they don't know all the names) -- I've often

smiled to myself since their friends have no idea that my kids acquaintance

with these characters comes from undies! Also, I'll confess, that my kids

do have some Buzz Lightyear, Bob the Builder, and Rescue Hero toys that they

have gotten for birthdays, etc. over the years . . .

 

Finally, if your in laws are still concerned, even the mainstream American

Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO TV until a child is 2 and only limited

TV thereafter.

 

Good Luck,

 

Jan

 

 

elizabethmaxsmom [elizabethmaxsmom]

Sunday, August 24, 2003 1:55 AM

 

tv marketing junk food to kids

 

 

 

Regarding that very interesting article about marketing junk foods

to kids -

I was just wondering, given that a lot of that marketing is

television related, and just wondering in general, what people in

the group felt about tv and children?

I have a toddler, 21 months old, and he doesn't watch any tv. We're

not rabidly anti-tv, we have one in our bedroom, but it is in our

bedroom because we chose not to have one in the main areas of the

house.

My inlaws think this is really odd and we are " depriving " our son of

lots of quality learning time plus the opportunity to become

familiar with the characters his peers are getting into.

I'm not quite ready for my child to become a consumer ...

I don't think tv per se is bad; BUT given that he is an only child

right now and I am at home with him I can engage him in other, even

more stimilating activities.

Reading stuff like this though reminds me of all of the other side

benefits of this decision-

 

How do other folks deal with the tv issue? Do you limit it, or not

have any, or what? What about older kids? Because there seems to be

a huge huge link between junk food and tv, where tv undermines the

healthy messages we try to give our children ...

 

Elizabeth

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, " elizabethmaxsmom "

<elizabethmaxsmom> wrote:

> Regarding that very interesting article about marketing junk foods

> to kids -

> I was just wondering, given that a lot of that marketing is

> television related, and just wondering in general, what people in

> the group felt about tv and children?

> I have a toddler, 21 months old, and he doesn't watch any tv. We're

> not rabidly anti-tv, we have one in our bedroom, but it is in our

> bedroom because we chose not to have one in the main areas of the

> house.

 

Thanks for all the interesting messages, Elizabeth! (Not that I think

the others are not interesting, but here I'm responding to two of

yours in a row!).

 

We chose *not* to have a TV in our bedroom, but then, we generally

have at least one child in bed with us at any given time, so that

wouldn't address your issue.

 

My kids watch TV. It being summer now, they are watching too much.

This will pass. When my oldest was a toddler, he did not watch

anywhere near as much, but of course he was also in daycare so he

didn't spend that much time at home. He now watches YTV, which

contains ads, but up until this year he only watched PBS, CBC for

kids, or Treehouse TV (you have probably gathered that we live in

Canada - and we only have basic cable). None of those channels

contains any kind of advertising (at least CBC doesn't while on the

children's programs, and PBS just has really brief logo flashes, no

directed advertising). Now that he watches YTV, and his younger

brother and sister watch along, we do get more advertising issues. We

have actually bought a couple of breakfast cereals because they asked

for them. There are worse things in life, IMHO, than Cinnamon Toast

Crunch and Froot Loops. I have refused to buy Lucky Charms, though (it

helps that it isn't kosher). Other stuff gives rise to discussions

about advertising versus reality, which is useful for later life, I

think. They will, after all, be bombarded with advertising all their

lives even if they don't watch TV. I did totally crack up when my

then-3 y/o asked if we could buy a " batteries not included " ...

 

That having been said, your toddler is not missing out on anything by

not watching Teletubbies. My kids enjoyed them very much, but I don't

think they added much of anything to their life experience. When he's

older, he might enjoy quality programming like Blue's Clues or Dragon

Tales or Dora the Explorer (Dora is my hero!). But you can get all of

those on tapes from the library and not have to deal with advertising

at all, until he reaches an age where you can have those

above-mentioned discussions.

 

And really, how could I read VRGParents at this hour of the morning if

my kids weren't watching the Save-ums right now? (And singing along

VERY LOUDLY!). ;-)

 

Be well, Hadass in Winnipeg, Ima to Rafi, 7 y/o, Ari, 4 y/o, and

Shira, 9 months, and not really as neglectful as all that ... just

taking a break!

[Guest guest]

We try to limit our daughter's TV viewing to public television or to

rented (or purchased) videos. This greatly (though not completely)

limits the marketing mumbo jumbo that she is exposed to but still

allows her to have a few favorite TV shows/characters that she gets

excited about. Also, PBS shows tend to have a greater chance of

having a little bit of an educational aspect to them.

 

, " elizabethmaxsmom "

<elizabethmaxsmom> wrote:

> How do other folks deal with the tv issue? Do you limit it, or not

> have any, or what? What about older kids? Because there seems to

be

> a huge huge link between junk food and tv, where tv undermines the

> healthy messages we try to give our children ...

[Guest guest]

>I was just wondering, given that a lot of that marketing is television

>related, and just wondering in general, what people in the group felt about

>tv and children?

 

At our house we also have a tv only in the bedroom and since, by the time I

finally make it there I'm pretty wiped out, it is rarely on! My son did not

watch any tv until he was 20 months old. Then, all of sudden, it was raining

non-stop and he was sick...I broke down and bought a Teletubbies video. Now,

at the age of 3.5, he does watch videos for about 45 minutes a day. If I

feel he is too into videos, I simply hide them for a week to get him out of

the habit. I have not found any age appropriate videos that teach

values/beliefs/etc. that I agree with, but I have found a few that seem

fine-no violence, etc. I don't buy, I simply borrow from the library. That

way if I don't like the video (which happens often enough) I haven't spent

any $. The library usually loans kids videos for a week. Videos solve the

worry about advertising because there is usually none.

 

As far as peers go, I took Killian to a playdate once and the little boy

loved dinosaurs and wanted to watch 'The Land Before Time'. I felt awkward

saying 'no' but it turned out I didn't have to. Killian was really afraid of

the video-the limited special effects (lights, music. etc) were so new to

him that they had a huge impact on him. The other little guy-the same

age-didn't even notice. Killian went into another room to check out the rest

of the toys. I'm pleased that he isn't immune to videos and that he

sometimes doesn't know who the other kids are talking about.

 

My main concern right now is trying to convince gift-givers not to give

commercial (Disney, sesame Street, Bob the Builder, etc) toys and clothes to

Killian. It seems like I have so many rules-no guns, no videos, no violent

toys, no namebrand toys. no meat, no sugar, no preservatives, etc. compared

to the 'rest of the world'. My family often mention this-nicely . I try to

be as accomodating as possible because I want them to be a part of his life

but I usually end up regretting it and feeling as though I have compromised

my values. Again. I'm still working on this!

 

How do you feel about computers? Killian is starting a Montessori school

next week and they have a computer on the premises!!?? I'm not very happy

about this.

 

Madeline

 

_______________

Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*

http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

[Guest guest]

madeline_killian writes:

 

> How do you feel about computers? Killian is starting a Montessori school

> next week and they have a computer on the premises!!?? I'm not very happy

> about this.

 

Everyone has comfort levels about different things. We have used computers

with supervision. My son ( 7 yrs old), has a profound hearing loss, and a

cochlear implant, so he has been he hearing sound for the past 5 or so yrs. The

computer was one of his ways to learn. Since his visual system is so strong. It

also has allowed him to self teach so many things. Including reading and math.

He taught himself how to play chess on the computer and then had a very smooth

transition to the hands on board. We make sure to integrate hands on learning

with the computer.

I feel you have to look case by case at each child and understand how they

learn before you eliminate things like a computer from the equation.

Peace,

Laura

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I don't know about your preschool, but the preschool my children attended

had a computer in every room. They had a very limited selection of games,

mostly tic-tac-toe and checkers with a little car called Putt-Putt. There

were a few games where the children had to click on all of the green (or

some other color) things on the screen and possibly something else, but I

can't remember now. The games were absolutely non-violent and the computers

could only be used at the very beginning of the day or if a child finished a

project very quickly.

 

-

" Madeline White " <madeline_killian

 

Monday, August 25, 2003 9:15 PM

Re: tv marketing junk food to kids

 

 

>

> How do you feel about computers? Killian is starting a Montessori school

> next week and they have a computer on the premises!!?? I'm not very happy

> about this.

>

> Madeline

>

> _______________

> Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*

> http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

>

>

>

>

> For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Our family is much like Elizabeth's in the TV arena. We cancelled

cable (which in our apartment complex means NO TV connection even

with rabbit ears) about a year ago. We all did fine with no TV during

the days for many months. I've always watched movies with my husband

after kids went to bed once a weekend or so. We still do that, so the

set is still in the living room. Just recently I've let the kids

watch more and more movies. They see prob 4 or 5 videos or DVDs per

week now. My husband has been talking about getting cable again. I

don't really like the idea, but havven't yet decided if I'll be

adamant about it.

 

Trin

[Guest guest]

We watch some tv, we watch PBS and some Nickelodeon. I talk to my son about

the commercials, especially the ones for food and we talk about how the

" food " that is being advertised are junk food and garbage and that junk food

makes you feel " junkie " . We talk about how we need to eat good food and he

has now gotten to the point where when he sees any foods that are " multi

colored " , he says " That's junk food, Mom, I eat good food " , not bad for a 3

1/2 year old!

 

Sara

 

 

 

-

" Connie Bendickson " <c.bendickson

 

Monday, August 25, 2003 10:04 AM

RE: tv marketing junk food to kids

 

 

> Hi Elizabeth,

> Here's my two cents...I have two children ages 6 & 3. We watch very

little

> TV in general. Occasionally, I let my kids watch PBS - which is

> commercial-free and we watch Animal Planet once in a while too. But I

> simply cannot stand the commercial stations with their direct marketing to

> children. One time my brother-in-law babysat for us and turned on

> Nickolodeon. I couldn't believe what my kids were asking for after being

> exposed to the commercials. We have a few videos and also borrow them

from

> the library. I really like Veggie Tales videos - they are entertaining

and

> have a moral lesson in each of them.

>

> When I do encounter advertisements with my kids - it could even be at the

> grocery store...I talk to them about it and ask them questions... " What do

> you think this ad or commercial is trying to sell? Why are they trying to

> get us to buy it? Is this product good for us? Let's read the label... "

>

> Bottom line...my perspective is feed them the healthiest of everything, be

> it food or entertainment, etc, educate them along the way...and hopefully

> their desire for " junk " later in life will be greatly diminished.

>

> " Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn

> from it. " Proverbs 22:6

>

> Connie Bendickson

> www.HealthyMomsHealthyFamilies.com

>

> elizabethmaxsmom [elizabethmaxsmom]

> Sunday, August 24, 2003 12:55 AM

>

> tv marketing junk food to kids

>

>

> Regarding that very interesting article about marketing junk foods

> to kids -

> I was just wondering, given that a lot of that marketing is

> television related, and just wondering in general, what people in

> the group felt about tv and children?

> I have a toddler, 21 months old, and he doesn't watch any tv. We're

> not rabidly anti-tv, we have one in our bedroom, but it is in our

> bedroom because we chose not to have one in the main areas of the

> house.

> My inlaws think this is really odd and we are " depriving " our son of

> lots of quality learning time plus the opportunity to become

> familiar with the characters his peers are getting into.

> I'm not quite ready for my child to become a consumer ...

> I don't think tv per se is bad; BUT given that he is an only child

> right now and I am at home with him I can engage him in other, even

> more stimilating activities.

> Reading stuff like this though reminds me of all of the other side

> benefits of this decision-

>

> How do other folks deal with the tv issue? Do you limit it, or not

> have any, or what? What about older kids? Because there seems to be

> a huge huge link between junk food and tv, where tv undermines the

> healthy messages we try to give our children ...

>

> Elizabeth

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

FWIW, I'd like to present a long term perspective on the subject.

 

I grew up without TV (money, not principles). I was keenly aware in

school that I couldn't carry on conversations with other children

whenever they talked about what they'd seen the day before (and I'm in

my 40s, so we're talking about 60's & 70's TV). It made me feel like

an outcast. As an adult, I spent years getting the craving to " catch

up " out of my system. I currently watch more TV than anyone I know

(admittedly, I live in an academic neighbourhood where TV watching is a

clandestine activity). I watch it after the kids are asleep, though.

VCRs are great inventions!

 

My children watch *some* TV. I asked for satellite TV as a gift from

my dad, so they only watch the children's programming, most of which

(like PBS) has little or no direct advertising. We talk about what

advertising is and what it tries to do. They only get to watch things

like " Magic School Bus " , " Dora the Explorer " , and " Teletubbies " for the

toddler. It's not an every day thing.

 

I've found that my 5 year old, who has been in various school programs

for 4 years now, feels like she has enough cultural knowledge to fit in

with the other kids. She also knows why I don't let her watch all of

the same programs as her friends. She's picked up on characters' names

in programs she's never seen, which makes her feel like she's pulling

one over on her mom!! So, she doesn't feel deprived, and I know that

she's actually only getting occasional fun+educational programming.

 

My aunts talk about how much harder it is to raise children these days,

because they used to just open the door to the yard and tell the kids

to play outside until they were done cooking or cleaning or whatever.

There is a use for occasional " parking " of children in front of a

quality program. My 5 year old is proud of the Spanish she's learned

from Dora, and respects the fact that I managed to get something done

without interruption during that 20 minute period.

 

However, I think that responsible use of a TV requires active parenting

to complement it. Things like openly discussing the role of

advertising (yes, even young children can understand) and comparing the

choices made by your family (food, etc.) vs. those pushed by the shows

and commercials they see on the screen.

 

I see TV as a tool. It's not evil, it's not necessary. But, it can be

quite useful.

 

Liz

[Guest guest]

Saturday Night Live had a fake commercial satirizing the McDonalds lawsuit

involving obese people who ate too much. They showed a hamburger while the

announcer, in disclaimer style, said 'This is food. If you eat too much of

it, you will get fat. Only a child or moron wouldn't know that, but because

children and morons are some of our best customers, we don't want to offend

anyone... " (or words to that effect)

 

Because of that commercial joke, at our house we jokingly point out things

on tv or in stores or at carnivals and say, " This is NOT food. " Usually we

mean junk food, but it can be anything where the entertainment value is

greater than the nutrition value.

 

Koolaid is not food. But if you put a packet of Koolaid lemonade (the only

flavor I found with some natural ingredients) in 64 oz. apple juice or white

grape juice, it tastes better than lemonade. And it becomes food.

 

Be kind. Be of good cheer.

Dick

[Guest guest]

Madeline asked:

> How do you feel about computers? Killian is starting a Montessori

school

> next week and they have a computer on the premises!!?? I'm not very

happy

> about this.

 

What's wrong with that? I'm assuming they don't spend all day staring

at the screen. The computer is a tool like any other. If it is

well-used by intelligent teachers (and I would hope that would be the

case at Montessori), then it should be no more objectionable than a book.

 

Be well, Hadass in Winnipeg.

[Guest guest]

My dd's preschool room had 2 computers. There were 18 kids in the class and they

could use the computers if/when they liked (during playtime), taking 5-minute

turns (using a kitchen timer). They had games like Blues Clues, Maisy, Elmo,

Tonka construction, etc. We thought it was great! I guess I don't understand

your concern.

Bonnie

-

Noreen Davisson

I don't know about your preschool, but the preschool my children attended

had a computer in every room. They had a very limited selection of games,

mostly tic-tac-toe and checkers with a little car called Putt-Putt. There

were a few games where the children had to click on all of the green (or

some other color) things on the screen and possibly something else, but I

can't remember now. The games were absolutely non-violent and the computers

could only be used at the very beginning of the day or if a child finished a

project very quickly.

 

-

" Madeline White " <madeline_killian

> How do you feel about computers? Killian is starting a Montessori school

> next week and they have a computer on the premises!!?? I'm not very happy

> about this.

>

> Madeline

 

 

[Guest guest]

I grew up without tv (principles, not money). I was also aware of this, but

never felt like I was missing anything. And even as an adult, I don't like tv

much... I once had someone tell me that the only thing funnier than watching

Cheers was watching ME trying to watch Cheers. I love the cooking channel and

sometimes the nature or do it yourself shows.

 

As for my kids, they'd happily watch tv all day every day, thoguh they don't sit

still and zombify. However, we're in the middle of moving to a new house, and

we're losing the cable and the tv is going into storage. I'm not worried about

them not fitting into the homeschooling community -- lots of homeschoolers avoid

tv.

 

Sandra

 

> I grew up without TV (money, not principles). I was keenly aware in

> school that I couldn't carry on conversations with other children

> whenever they talked about what they'd seen the day before (and I'm in

> my 40s, so we're talking about 60's & 70's TV). It made me feel like

> an outcast.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I can't speak for anyone else, but my dd got a pc for her third birthday. My

son is now two and trying to use the pc and I'm HOPING to hold off until three

to get him one!!!

 

Sandra, admitted PC junkie