Ronald promises not to fiddle with the kids
Food firms serve fewer unhealthy ads for kids
Food manufacturers have sharply reduced their television advertising of unhealthy foods during the "children's" viewing times, in anticipation of a new voluntary code coming into effect in July. The Television Broadcasters Council yesterday released further details of the anti-obesity code that aims to restrict ads for unhealthy foods and drinks for up to three hours and five minutes a day during what TV stations call the school-age children's programming time. Obesity Action Coalition director Leigh Sturgiss said it would do only half the job because so many children watched TV outside the hours in which the restrictions would apply. "Over 30 per cent of children are still watching TV at 8.30 at night ... Kids' favourite TV shows are The Simpsons, Spongebob Squarepants, Shortland Street and Home and Away. Only Spongebob Squarepants is shown during the recognised children's viewing time."
Fast Food companies, genuinely fearing that the Government will finally do something about marketing unhealthy food to children, have come up with a half answer, which shows how much pressure they are feeling towards being seen as the cause of obesity in NZ. The Government of course are paying skyrocketing costs for obesity and want solutions – stopping unhealthy mass marketed food producers from manipulating your kids through advertising to create ‘pester’ power is a good start. This half solution of course doesn’t go far enough, but it is at least a recognition that they are part of the problem, but as this half answer doesn’t go far enough and the Government is going to be stuck with the health bill, the march towards banning unhealthy food advertising aimed at children continues.
posted by Bomber @ 5:58 AM
28 comments
28 Comments:
Do you have children bomber?
Children want.
Alot.
Of anything they see.
Mcdonalds/latest toy/chocolate/snow in Auckland/mobile phone/laptop/...
...it never ends.
But, it is up to the parents whether to give these things to their children or not.
There will always be external pressures convincing you to buy this, eat that, and so children need to be educated so as to know how to differentiate between their needs and their wants.
Banning things only make children want them more, educating them is the only answer.
My children eat McDonalds once a month.
...
McDonalds and other fast food companies spend a lot of money trying to increase the 'pester' power of their products specifically so kids pester parents enough to get what they want - if you want to be an apologist to a form of mass media manipulation that ultimatly leds to the eating of unhealtyhy food - go for it, I however believe multi-billion dollar companies should not have the right to manipulate your children through advertising. Adults have the ability to make decisions when marketed to, children do not.
Another problem causing obesity is the cost of cheap, crappy, chemical and sugar laden foods when compared to the cost of fresh foods. Big fast food corporations like McDonalds have also increased their portion sizes to well over double what they were in the 1970s. Wendy's in Auckland serve an xtra large combo with extra chips and around 1 litre of coca cola to drink. It's about time something was done to the organisations who promote and encourage such unhealthy eating habits.
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If Bomber had children (boy what a depressing thought) he could always blame McDonalds when turn out as fat and lazy as him, easier than blaming himself for modelling his own unhealthy lifestyle to them.
There are families where going for a bike ride, a fun cricket game at the park with a picnic, playing a board game, reading a book is the way they spend time together, for the useless and lazy its chuck them in front of the plasma TV with a pile of chips and a large bottle of coke while they go to the garage for a night of dope and drink.
If you are fat make a commitment to get healthy before you get pregnant or get someone else pregnant get a healthy lifestyle and habits in place so that you bring your children into a good environment, if you can’t be bothered don’t have children.
I sometimes wonder what the deniers explanation is for fat pets, have their genes changed as well or is that McDonalds fault.
One thing I do think needs to be done by the authorities is decent school kitchens, however you still can’t beat stupid parents, when Jamie Oliver did it in the UK parents were coming to the school and passing McDonalds over the school fence for their kids. The main resistance to introducing good lunches into schools was the parents rather than welcoming the improvements they objected to their kids being denied chips and coke.
Fat parents creating fat children is a legal form of child abuse.
You make some very good points in your post, bit of a shame you had to start with a personal attack on Bomber.
It's amazing how quick people are to judge others, as if they have no faults of their own...
NS
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Anonymous said...
If Bomber had children (boy what a depressing thought) he could always blame McDonalds when turn out as fat and lazy as him, easier than blaming himself for modelling his own unhealthy lifestyle to them.
There are families where going for a bike ride, a fun cricket game at the park with a picnic, playing a board game, reading a book is the way they spend time together, for the useless and lazy its chuck them in front of the plasma TV with a pile of chips and a large bottle of coke while they go to the garage for a night of dope and drink.
If you are fat make a commitment to get healthy before you get pregnant or get someone else pregnant get a healthy lifestyle and habits in place so that you bring your children into a good environment, if you can’t be bothered don’t have children.
I sometimes wonder what the deniers explanation is for fat pets, have their genes changed as well or is that McDonalds fault.
One thing I do think needs to be done by the authorities is decent school kitchens, however you still can’t beat stupid parents, when Jamie Oliver did it in the UK parents were coming to the school and passing McDonalds over the school fence for their kids. The main resistance to introducing good lunches into schools was the parents rather than welcoming the improvements they objected to their kids being denied chips and coke.
Fat parents creating fat children is a legal form of child abuse.
I don't have children - and I don't understand why my weight has anything to do with the desire not to have companies manipulate children through advbertising to eat bad food - you don't even attempt to discuss that point in your post anon - why not? Explain in detail Anon - why you support a mutli-billion dollar company to have open access for exploitating your child?
Maybe we should ban all those teen magazines that give kids an unobtainable concept of self image?
Maybe that pushes more kids to overindulgent eating? Those magazines are in kids faces all the time where as McDonald adverts are sporadic and channel specific.
Attentive parents and education are the ticket I think.
The sad thing, as we are all very aware, is that there are a lot of very inattentive and really quite pathetic parents around and it's the children of those ones who need to be 'protected' from this advertising. Chances are it is mostly kids from this sort of family who are watching tv at those times anyway.
NS
I think your own obesity is relevant, why are you obese are you a 'victim' of advertising. Why do you choose to stay obese, don't you understand the basic principles of diet and exercise or do you understand but choose not to bother.
Being fat is like smoking – the best way to prevent you kids from taking it up is to be a non-smoker yourself, and if they do want to try it (most kids do at least once) make it quiet clear that behaviour will not be tolerated and don’t provide an environment that enables the habit.
I assume you would like to see other people make healthy choices for themselves and their children but you don't want to make healthy choices for yourself, there must be a reason(s) for that.
As for my children - we are a family of skeptics, they have been brought up to question everything, they know TV is not real life. When things come up like fat, sugar, nicotine, alcohol they (used to) ask me and we discus things, we don’t always agree but fortunately they seem to think my opinions count for something.
Interesting to see how things develop as they get older and make their own decisions based on many things I imagine, including watching me.
For example - I have a son who is a teetotaller, even though we are not teetotallers and there has always been alcohol in the house, we are not drunks either. As he got older and was offered a can of beer or glass of wine he always opted for a soft drink, his choice was accepted and supported (not ridiculed like it would have been in some families I imagine) and he has stuck with it. Over the years people have tried to get him to drink (I have no idea why) but he has the confidence to stand his ground and make his own choices.
People have also repeatedly tried to convert my kids to religion, they are far more unethical and insidious in their attempts to enslave children than any fast food company. Even throughout state schooling they were under great pressure to conform and join the believers, they knew they would be persecuted if they spoke out so they chose (against my wishes) to go along with things to some extent to protect themselves but happily they have resisted that ‘junk food’ as well. I am all to well aware of the way people try to manipulate our children and its hard maintaining standards and values, it’s a great relief when they grow up having escaped most of the junk.
I don't care much for TV ads, but they do offer a toilet break, however I have finally caught up with technology (money is another lesson, you can’t always have what you want when you want it or just because everyone else seems to have it) I have to say the new hard drive recorders are great. I now record most things and play it back through the hard drive which means all the ads are eliminated.
As for my own failings and weaknesses, they are many and varied, but I don’t think I can blame the corporates for them and I can (and do) choose to make changes. Bad decisions in the past do not have to be a life sentence.
So you (and anyone else) can make the choice right now to take control of you health, weight and fitness, and in six months your obesity will be gone, or you can go on doing what you are doing now and put on another 20kilos, its your choice.
I brought up my kids not the governement, corporates or TV, I am not claiming to be a partiularly good parent and regret not being better at it, but I seem to have got away with it.
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And how has any of that have to do with my weight? You havn't answered the question, you've told me how great you are, but you haven't actually answered the main question I asked above, which was the point of the blog - so let me ask it again...
Explain in detail Anon - why you support a mutli-billion dollar company to have open access for exploitating your child?
I'm writing here that they shouldn't have that power - your main counter is 'bomber you're fat' - what has any of that to do with McDonalds having the right to sell crap food to your child and every other child through TV adverts?
NS - Good Point
I would be interested to know what sort of value McD's actually get from advertising on TV. If you were to remove the adverts i believe they would still draw the same crowds.
Which i think comes back to educating parents.
I dont know the cost of obesity in NZ every year (im sure someone here does). But is it child obesity statistics or obesity in NZ in general? Then take into account how much McD's spent on their kids treatment homes over the same period and tell me what the short fall is.
Surely no harm in knowing the figures if someone has them handy?
"...if you want to be an apologist to a form of mass media manipulation that ultimatly leds to the eating of unhealtyhy food - go for it..."
Actually bomber I am a responsible parent.
Are you?
"Adults have the ability to make decisions when marketed to, children do not."
Thats right bomber, we do. And I educate my children on the temptations in life, not hide them from it, nor pretend it isn't there.
"...and I don't understand why my weight has anything to do with the desire not to have companies manipulate children through advbertising to eat bad food..."
With no offence intended, perhaps you were brought up eating bad food and don't want other children to do the same.
Which is a noble sentiment, but based on your lack of self control, not others.
And this is the crux of the issue, self control.
"...why you support a mutli-billion dollar company to have open access for exploitating your child?"
What a specious argument.
You used to, and may still (I don't watch) advertise porn on alttv.
You have a woman reading the news topless.
Therefore.
Why do you support the exploitation of women?
Here's a link to the findings of the 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey. It's highly detailed and smashes the myth that obesity is caused by lazy parenting. Scroll down to find reports on the nutritional health of Maori and Pacific Island children. Maori children are far from lazy and often don't have access to enough food to keep them healthy.
http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/pagesmh/4330
Some NZ schools haven't been doing their bit either and 50% still serve cheap, nasty foods to students. Some of these big food companies also donate their outdated products to children in decile 1 and 1a schools and everyone should be shocked and disgusted by this. Companies like Mcdonalds fully deserve the kick in the rear end they are about to receive.
Of course your own obesity is relevant - you are suggesting that corporates and their advertising is to blame - I do not accept that, does it explain your obesity, you demand answers (that suit you) but refuse to offer your own, your ‘questions’ are not in fact questions they are statements.
Thinking more about this I think TV and food have a lot in common - in both there is a lot of junk available, but there is also a lot of good stuff, it is up to us to choose which we consume. I just remembered, years ago, sitting down with the kids watching a documentary (not sure if it was from the BBC or an American broadcaster) which showed how corporates developed marketing strategies, particularly aimed at children – they spend billions it is very sophisticated, but having that knowledge helped them to see and question how people are manipulated, they have also seen TV about product placement, cold (psychic) reading etc... knowledge gives people tools to protect themselves, that to me is a better strategy than censorship.
There are many organisations that are waiting to prey on your kids – the moonies were demons in the ‘70’s but they seem to have become respectable now, won’t be long before the Scientologists are mainstream. Only certain children are susceptible to these approaches, mine seem to have been independent minded, intelligent and secure enough not to be easy targets – that is not me claiming greatness its just a fact.
Far from believing I am great (I see a bit of projection there bomber) me and my parenting leave a lot to be desired (sadly) but I seem to have done just enough right to prevent my kids becoming drunks, fat, criminals or scientologists - why does that make you angry and sneer, I would think that is a good thing. If you ever have direct responsibly for children you might understand why that is such a relief and, yes, I admit I am proud of my kids, I think they are great (most of the time).
You make excuses for parents who produce children who are a disaster to themselves and society but you express nothing but contempt for those of us (the majority) who have produced decent citizens.
You seem to have a very low opinion of fat people (maybe you are right) you seem to believe that they are total slaves to advertising with no more judgement and brains that a puppet, totally incapable of making any sort of independent decisions. Do you think fat people need to have their lives controlled and censored because they are to stupid to cope with advertising and other outside influences – maybe they are, but if they really are that stupid I don’t think controlling advertising is going to achieve much, it will take much more intervention than that to help these children develop healthy, happy lives.
Adoption is out of fashion, children are now required to stay in the most appalling environments, illegal drugs are not corporate advertised but that does not seem to stop many children using them. Small family fish and chip shops don’t advertise at all but go to South Auckland any evening of the week and look at the people in the queue, many have only a passing acquaintance with spoken or written English so the influence of advertising on those queues is limited at most.
I suspect your own obesity comes from the way your parents brought you up, instead of getting angry with me (and McDonalds) maybe it would help you more to confront some realities about that. No-one likes to admit their parents failed them, but even if your parents did fail to create an environment where exercise and good nutrition were the norm, you are an adult now and you can choose for yourself whether to get fit and healthy or continue to do what is making and keeping you fat.
Nobody had 'open access' to my children, except school teachers perhaps and that was a problem that had a lot of discussion in our house - but that’s another story.
If you have access to children my suggestion would be for you to set a positive example and hope your good influence and good example would be greater than the negative influence and examples they are exposed to.
I think direct influence can far outweigh that from any media - but then I think children are smarter than you think, they just need some support to develop that.
bomber has access to my daughter. She goes to his karaoke through Auckland University. She says bomber is really nice, he isn't crude and he doesn't leer at women's breasts. I trust my daughter with bomber anytime, not some weird cunt that posted the shit right above me.
I have a sugestion for you bomber if you really want to do something useful -
http://www.runauckland.co.nz/
How about getting a kids run/walk group together there is a 5k on the 22nd June.
You can't change the world but you could make a small personal contribution - these fun runs are not competitive they really are about doing your best, I don't know this series as I don't live in Akl but you could talk to the organisers, I am sure there are others.
A lot of kids aren't 'jocks' or 'jills??' they are never going to make the school teams, that is what is so great about running you can do it on your own and just finishing is an achievement.
Come on Bomber get off your backside and do something, it would help you as well as any kids you can help to get involved.
Fat is not just about food.
"Why do you support the exploitation of women?"
Your silence is deafening bomber.
this is normally about the time you see bomber head for the hills and pretend that he hasnt read your comments.
Yeh bomber why not get a group of 'poor' kids together and train for the round the bays.
Please don't just focus on the boys though, get the girls involved, they are left out of so much, if their parents are worried about you surely your girlfriend would get involved and support you.
They can run or walk, its a great thing to work towards. I am sure you could get some funding to put up a tent for the after event and make an occasion of it.
I am sure the kids would enjoy it and finding someone to take a personal interest and make a personal effort to connect with them would be a positive thing, you can loose weight and get fit together and raise money as the same time maybe.
Time to stop talking and waiting for someone else to take action and get in there yourself.
Losing weight is not just about one thing, its about taking an all round approach, its not just about weight either its about health and fittness as well.
In the meantime there are loads of fun runs events around Auckland, you could start your own in South Auckland if there is one, I know Manukau did one some years ago, not sure if its still going.
If you don't know how to go about fittness there are loads of books on Trade Me, I recomened Get the Connection by Oprahs trainer Bob Greene as a start, but there are a lot of others.
anonymous should come out of the closet and admit his undying love for Martyn Bradbury......
"...why you support a mutli-billion dollar company to have open access for exploitating your child?"
What a specious argument.
No that is the actual point and you avoid answering it after you've focused on the 'you're fat' counter - now you move to my apparent sexism...
You used to, and may still (I don't watch) advertise porn on alttv.
When? When did we ever do that - was it befopre I started? I've never seen any porn advert on Alt? Are you making things up?
You have a woman reading the news topless.
Therefore.
Why do you support the exploitation of women?
We have naked men and women doing the news - what is your point and seeing as you haven't actually watched it you are still commenting on it - only the anon poster are this hypercritical. And how does this have anything to do with advertising fast food to children during childrens TV?
As for the rest of the comments - wow look at all that hate and personal comments all directed from me saying that McDonalds shouldn't advertise and molest children through advertising to eat their bad food - I get 'you're fat shut up', it's ridiculous you aren't even trying to talk about the issue at hand, it's just personal stuff directed at me - I've put up with bullies like you since scholl days my friends, all water off a ducks back and it doesn't change the fact that McDonalds and fast food companies shouldn't be allowed to advertise to children - as much as you try and make it about my weight or naked women on ALt tv, you can't actually debate the issue.
It's sad, and I'm afraid kids, it's very telling.
Bomber.
I do not need the State to tell me how to raise my children.
I do not need you to tell me how to raise my children.
I don't give a fuck what McDonalds does, because it does not affect the way I bring up my children.
I don't give a fuck if P is sold in shops, it does not affect the way I bring up my children.
I don't accept censorship, banning, or denial.
Should we ban Gangs?
Should we ban Party pills?
No.
McDonalds exists.
I get on with life.
You should get on with yours.
This does not make me a lackey of multinationals, far from it, and your attempt to smear me does you no disservice.
Btw, if you don't want dietary tips, don't hand out parenting tips.
As a parent of a ten year old girl, I have far less concern for the market that is trying to make my daughter eat more.
A more pressing concern is the market that is trying to sexualise my daughter.
As a provider of one of those markets bomber, music videos, would you be prepared to back up your statements and ban videos that are sexually provocative, during children viewing hours.
It is easier to control what they eat as opposed to control what they see.
What is wrong with parents today, saw some drunk kids (14-17) on TV the other night, all white all looked afluent, I would bet each was a mummys boy or daddys girl, given everything they want from the day they were born, I doubt if any of them have ever taken the rubbish out let alone got a job.
Parents want to blame everyone but themselves, stand up to your kids and take charge for gods sake.
Where do these layabout children/youths/kids/young adults (what they are called seems to change depending on the story) get their fancy cars, drunk, endless food, lazy selfish lifestyle - from mummy and daddy of course.
Bomber why not train to be a personal trainer and take yourself into the fat areas and start some kids fittness groups, why do you get so upset when people suggest you could do something for yourself and others, if you don't want to thats up to you but don't get so angry about it - I would think it would be a win win myself, I just can't see any harm in it so why won't you even consider the idea.
It would be intereting to see if direct action and involvement along these lines achieved anything.
'.....as you haven't actually watched it you are still commenting on it ....'
I don't need to take drugs, smoke, get drunk, get fat, watch violent films, watch porn ....... to have a view and comment.
I haven't watched big brother either but I would take a guess its garbage and its a shame TV has such low standards.
Hypocrisy could be an obese person having 'answers' to obesity, is advertising to blame for your obesity, will changes to TV help you, if you think it would then tell us and yoy Are you taking steps now to lose weight and get fit – if you can’t or won’t do it why not, what are you waiting for, maybe if you addresses your own problems you might be able to offer some help and insight to others.
Why aren't you taking better care of yourself - there must be a reason and I would like to understand that.
Bomber can't confront or take action over his own obesity, he gets angry and upset when someone dares to mentions it and chalenge him on it.
Does the outside picture we present ot the world say a lot about whats inside and how we feel, Bomber must feel pretty bad that he chooses to continue to destroy his health.
'......It's sad, and I'm afraid kids, it's very telling.........'
Don't know if its sad, who really cares if fat adults choose to kill themselves, its a free country and he is entitled to his choices, even if they are killing him. What would be sad and unforgivable would be if he had children and passed his bad habits on to them, if you choose to have children you have a responsility to provide them with a healthy environment and good role models.
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