The childhood obesity epidemic is an urgent public health problem. The most recent data available show that nearly 19 percent of boys and about 15 percent of girls aged 2-19 are obese, and almost a ...third of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or obese (Ogden et al., 2012). The obesity epidemic will continue to take a substantial toll on the health of Americans. In the midst of this epidemic, children are exposed to an enormous amount of commercial advertising and marketing for food. In 2009, children aged 2-11 saw an average of more than 10 television food ads per day (Powell et al., 2011). Children see and hear advertising and marketing messages for food through many other channels as well, including radio, movies, billboards, and print media. Most notably, many new digital media venues and vehicles for food marketing have emerged in recent years, including Internet-based advergames, couponing on cell phones, and marketing on social networks, and much of this advertising is invisible to parents.
The marketing of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and beverages is linked to overweight and obesity. A major 2006 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) documents evidence that television advertising influences the food and beverage preferences, requests, and short-term consumption of children aged 2-11 (IOM, 2006). Challenges and Opportunities for Change in Food Marketing to Children and Youth also documents a body of evidence showing an association of television advertising with the adiposity of children and adolescents aged 2-18. The report notes the prevailing pattern that food and beverage products marketed to children and youth are often high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium; are of low nutritional value; and tend to be from food groups Americans are already overconsuming. Furthermore, marketing messages that promote nutrition, healthful foods, or physical activity are scarce (IOM, 2006). To review progress and explore opportunities for action on food and beverage marketing that targets children and youth, the IOM's Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention held a workshop in Washington, DC, on November 5, 2012, titled "New Challenges and Opportunities in Food Marketing to Children and Youth."
A survey of 70 to 11 year olds showed that restrictive guidance leads to a reduction of media consumption, whereas other forms of guidance do not. Restriction of the use of one medium may lead to an ...increase of another medium offering a similar gratification. Children perceive differences between the guidance behavior of fathers and mothers. In this study parental guidance (measured as verbal cues) had an effect only on the media consumption of girls.
In December 1997,250 children were asked to list their Christmas wishes. These requests were then compared to the commercials that were broadcast at the time of data collection. Sixty-seven percent ...of the seven- and eight-year-olds, 49% of the 9- and 10-year-olds, and 40% of the 11-and 72-year-olds asked for at least one advertised product. Children's gender and age, as well as their level of exposure to the network that aired the most commercials, were significant predictors of their requests for advertised products.
A new "children's digital media culture" is swiftly moving into place on the Internet. In this article, the author describes the technological, demographic, and market forces shaping this new digital ...media culture and the rich array of Web sites being created for children and teens. Many nonprofit organizations, museums, educational institutions, and government agencies are playing a significant role in developing online content for children, offering them opportunities to explore the world, form communities with other children, and create their own works of art and literature. For the most part, however, the heavily promoted commercial sites, sponsored mainly by media conglomerates and toy companies, are overshadowing the educational sites. Because of the unique interactive features of the Internet, companies are able to integrate advertising and Web site content to promote "brand awareness" and "brand loyalty" among children, encouraging them to become consumers beginning at a very early age. The possibility that a child's exploration on the Internet might lead to inappropriate content, aggressive advertising, or even dangerous contact with strangers has given rise to a number of efforts to create "safe zones" for children--that is, places in cyberspace where children can be protected from both marketers and predators. Federal legislation now requires parental permission before commercial Web sites can collect personal information from children under age 13. Several companies offer filtering, blocking, and monitoring software to safeguard children from harmful content or predators. Generally lacking in debates concerning children's use of the Internet, however, is a more proactive definition of quality--one that would help ensure the creation and maintenance of Web sites that enhance children's learning and development and not merely keep them from harm. In the concluding section of this article, the author recommends actions to promote development of a quality media culture that would help children become good citizens as well as responsible consumers.
The students examined the strategies of indirect lenders, Jon Matthews, GM Financial's senior vice president of customer experience administration, told Automotive News. According to Girl Scouts, the ...course reaches 40,000 underserved girls nationally. Jeannie Bailey, community relations and senior analyst for Toyota Financial, said Girl Scouts can earn financial literacy badges by working with scout leaders and Toyota Financial Services volunteers to complete one of two age-appropriate courses.
Ovaj se rad bavi otkrivanjem aktualnosti i implikacijama konzumerizma
u pedagogiji. U radu konstatiramo da je tema konzumerizma na marginama interesa pedagoške znanosti. Cilj je ovoga rada dati okvir ...pedagoške problematike u analizama konzumerizma te potaknuti struku na dodatna istraživanja o aktualnim pitanjima. Da bismo udovoljili zahtjevima tako definiranoga cilja, na temu konzumerizma konzultirana je relevantna literatura različitih društvenih znanosti kao i recentna istraživanja (iz inozemstva). Djeca postaju proizvod konzumerizma i mekdonaldizacije društva, čije su manifestacije vidljive u danas dominantnoj fast-food obitelji. To je posljedica fetišizacije proizvoda, medijske tiranije, hedonizma i svekolikog otuđenja – kada stvari upravljaju ljudima. Problem djece i mladih kao potrošača prepoznali
su teoretičari Frankfurtske kritičke škole, koji su prvi apelirali na
promjene u obrazovanju. Na temelju njihovih polazišta razvijala
se ideja odgoja za kritičko mišljenje kao otklon od diktata konzumerizma, ali i svih vrsta indoktrinacija i manipuliranja potrebama
najmlađih. U radu se navode poticajni primjeri osvještavanja
problema konzumerizma kod djece i mladih. Konzumerizam kao
nametnuti životni stil uvelike utječe na preferencije i ponašanja
djece i mladih, što uzimamo kao prinos novomu znanstvenom diskursu
pedagogije.
