Each year, children are spending less time outdoors playing and more time indoors watching television. With all the time spent indoors, physical activity and exercise is greatly lacking in children today, which is contributing to the rise of childhood obesity. Instead of riding bikes with friends or playing sports in the street, children are sitting slumped on the couch, staring at the television, with no motivation to stimulate activity. This is in part to the content of the programing as well as the advertisements during commercial breaks. In the midst of these programs are advertisements for the newest toys that every child wants to have. During the hours that children typically watch television, broadcasting networks are playing advertisements that spark interest in a child, convincing children that they need these new games and toys. Fun and exciting ads are not the only factor in the rise of obesity, along with toys and games; non-nutritious advertising is playing its role in this as well. The food displayed is of no nutritional content, which of course, is exactly what children want. Again, these ads are sending children into a frenzy, begging parents to purchase these food products. “Food is the most commonly advertised product on children’s television” (Zimmerman & Bell, 2010, pp. 336-337). Many studies have been conducted in regard to television viewing and childhood obesity and statistics indicate that the main cause of obesity in children watching television is the advertisements for food during children’s programming Regardless of whether the programs are educational or strictly entertaining, television programs that contain advertisements during the show are linked to contribution of obesity in children, according to Zimmerman & Bell (2010). DVD’s and television programs that contain no in-program ads, such as Nick Jr., appear to have a drastically reduced association. Watching television does not have
Each year, children are spending less time outdoors playing and more time indoors watching television. With all the time spent indoors, physical activity and exercise is greatly lacking in children today, which is contributing to the rise of childhood obesity. Instead of riding bikes with friends or playing sports in the street, children are sitting slumped on the couch, staring at the television, with no motivation to stimulate activity. This is in part to the content of the programing as well as the advertisements during commercial breaks. In the midst of these programs are advertisements for the newest toys that every child wants to have. During the hours that children typically watch television, broadcasting networks are playing advertisements that spark interest in a child, convincing children that they need these new games and toys. Fun and exciting ads are not the only factor in the rise of obesity, along with toys and games; non-nutritious advertising is playing its role in this as well. The food displayed is of no nutritional content, which of course, is exactly what children want. Again, these ads are sending children into a frenzy, begging parents to purchase these food products. “Food is the most commonly advertised product on children’s television” (Zimmerman & Bell, 2010, pp. 336-337). Many studies have been conducted in regard to television viewing and childhood obesity and statistics indicate that the main cause of obesity in children watching television is the advertisements for food during children’s programming Regardless of whether the programs are educational or strictly entertaining, television programs that contain advertisements during the show are linked to contribution of obesity in children, according to Zimmerman & Bell (2010). DVD’s and television programs that contain no in-program ads, such as Nick Jr., appear to have a drastically reduced association. Watching television does not have