Viewpoint: Will children's food be Mickey-approved?
You know that there is an issue in America when a major television corporation takes a stand against their own advertisers. Many channels rely heavily on who will pay the most to reach the reclined and captive audience.
Morality and concern for the well-being of viewers seem to be taking a turn for the better. The Walt Disney Co. announced on Monday that, by 2015, they would only allow healthier food companies to advertise to children across all its platforms.These platforms include its website, radio, and Disney-owned stations like ABC. Only food companies that follow the company’s nutrition guidelines, like lower sodium and overall caloric content, will be allowed to broadcast commercials.
It is generally accepted, and backed up by the American Academy of Pediatrics, that media affects the behavior of children in many ways, including eating habits that could lead to obesity. Disney and other youth program channels are highly influential on children -- and what they eat -- and children can become highly influential over what their parents buy for them. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States -- triple the rate from just one generation ago.” That comes out to approximately 12.5 million youth.
While television and television advertising is not the only cause of child obesity, it is refreshing to see a company actively taking a stand against its hazards.
Recent media including HBO’s documentary series The Weight of the Nation, Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign "Let's Move!" and her book American Grown bring attention to steps that American adults and children could be taking to improve their health. The documentary highlights that America is generally a reactive society –- we only take measures once something has dangerous effects, and all the money saved from cheap, processed and junk food is spent on health care later on in life.
Interestingly, but not surprisingly, “more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the help of Disney's initiative, maybe we can take a stab at changing our ways, ways that are ingrained in us from childhood. Now, what will it take for other television channels to follow Disney’s path? Hopefully, not much.
Christina Reinwald is a Summer 2012 Paste BN Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about her here.
This story originally appeared on the Paste BN College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.