Should Unhealthy Advertising Aimed Towards Children Be Banned?

[MrPresident]

In recent years there have been increasing calls for unhealthy advertising (i.e. sugary foods and drinks) aimed towards children to be banned. This is in response to the growing problem of child obesity and the health risks that poses. Do you support such a ban? What about a sugar tax on these products to drive up the price therefore cut consumption of them? Do you think advertisers should have the freedom to advertise what they want to who they want? Do you think children have the right to see their advertisements? Do you think there is not really a problem of obesity and such a ban would be an unnecessary and reactionary? Do you think the problem lies with the parents rather than the children?

What do you think?

 

[Grav]

The children shouldn't be manipulated. However showing a kid by the means of a TV, that there does exsist a cereal called Super Sugar Puffs or whatnot, does not count as manipulation. Banning sugar adds is too reactionary to the 'situation' of obesity. People are obese because they eat too much, not because they were "manipulated into shoving mass quantities of food" down their throats because the TV said so. Even a kid isn't so easily manipulated.

 

[Hitro]

Everything that annoys the marketing industry is fine with me.

And specifically, yes, it is acceptable. Certainly much more so than a "sugar tax" that would hurt everyone.

 

[Oruc]

it shouldnt be banned, how will all those companies make money

 

[Arizona_Steve]

ALL advertising should be banned. It's nothing but a bunch of lies and half-truths anyway.

 

[MoHiggins]

ALL advertising should be banned. It's nothing but a bunch of lies and half-truths anyway.

Yah and what's up with this capitalism? Bunch of successful and prosperous bunk that is! Rabble rabble rabble!

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

Yes, although I don't have particularly strong views about it.

 

[addiv]

Who cares about advertising anyway? It all seems like a big waste to me.

 

[Mise]

Well, it is worrying, but I don't think banning them is the answer. Perhaps putting some disclaimer in the advert, like the ones on cigarrette adverts on billboards and packets, would be better. Dunno if this works or not, but it's better than banning them altogether. I like knowing how the new Coke differs from the old (or "Classic") Coke. It has been shown that taxing things in this way (like petrol) doesn't actually lower their usage, but just generates more money for the government.

Incidentally, why the hell does coke need to spend millions of $ on advertising? Everyone knows what it is, and it's not like you go into a shop and ask for a coke, and if they say "Is pepsi ok?", you say "No! I wanted coke dammit!".

 

[philippe]

oh i like those options of you Don't know, don't care, advertising featuring graphic pictures of Giant Radioactive Monkeys "enjoying themselves" with penguins drugged up on shoe polish should be a mandatory part of a child's 17th century English history education




no really i think no one can stop commercials now
it is too late anyway,

 

[Archer 007]

Depends on what we are talking about.

 

[MrPresident]

Depends on what we are talking about.

Fast food, chocolate bars, high-sugar drinks, basically all the good stuff.

 

[vonork]

Well, most add aimed to kids should be band, because children (and to many adults) has a harder time to think critically about something.

Remember something from the local news. in a toy-catalogue there was a picture of a toy a laser gun(with some body sensors) - the point of the toy was a simpler form of laserdome. But in the picture they had painted the laser beam.

Now this will obvious not show unless you smoke a lot, but the kids had spent their money on the toy believing that the beam would be visible. And as it was not they felt like the toy store had fooled them into buying something they now did not want.

 

[crystal]

Well, it is worrying, but I don't think banning them is the answer. Perhaps putting some disclaimer in the advert, like the ones on cigarrette adverts on billboards and packets, would be better. Dunno if this works or not, but it's better than banning them altogether. I like knowing how the new Coke differs from the old (or "Classic") Coke. It has been shown that taxing things in this way (like petrol) doesn't actually lower their usage, but just generates more money for the government.

That seems a little absurd. If one has the same money to be spent on different goods, of course one cannot afford to buy old, higher amounts of petrol.

Incidentally, why the hell does coke need to spend millions of $ on advertising? Everyone knows what it is, and it's not like you go into a shop and ask for a coke, and if they say "Is pepsi ok?", you say "No! I wanted coke dammit!".

That's because they advertise all the time, otherwise Coke would simply be forgotten as time passes.

 

[the mormegil]

No, just put a tax on fat kids.

I would say there should be restrictions.

Weren't these kind of adds banned in Sweden, with positive results?

 

[amadeus]

Ah, the case of "ban X so Y won't happen."

OK, let's ban [insert one of the following]

candy bars,
tobacco,
chewing gum,
video games,
television,
movies,
automobiles,
home ownership,
money,
or even ownership period,

so nobody, young or old, will become too "unhealthy and/or greedy."

That's all what you (who support this) are supporting. There's no difference between banning advertising and banning something completely unrelated like celery. Someone could choke on celery, let's ban that too!

 

[vonork]

Weren't these kind of adds banned in Sweden, with positive results?

All adds towords kids are banned in Sweden.

 

[amadeus]

What do they advertise during Saturday morning cartoons then? Tampax?

Of course, they've probably outlawed cartoons up there, too.

 

[KaNick]

People need to take a test to have children. At least I feel that way sometimes.

 

[amadeus]

Quiet! You know you can't talk about parental responsibility. They shouldn't be held accountable for taking care of their children.