Comments on: Protecting kids from online food ads

With playful characters and mobile social-network buddies, fast-food companies are finding new ways to target teens. One group wants limits set.

[gerhard_schroeder]

Kooksville

Liberal groups always blame the corporations like Kraft and Nabisco for hurting kids, and then turn around and help the ACLU let pedophiles out of prison.

**Yawn**, more misguided liberal corporate hate. Take care of all the child killers, then let me know, and we will spend our nights lying awake, worried about the Oreo man.

[GraysonBuzz]

Another call for bigger government

Does the left ever find a problem that does not require MORE government regulation?? In this case, has the left found a solution in search of a problem? I realize that kids are not getting enough exercise because of computers and video games. However, when I was a kid, we just spent most of that time in front of the television. Inactivity is inactivity. Regardless, even if inactivity is up to the greater influence of the digital lifestyle, are kids NOT going to get the urge for a pizza or a burger from McDonald's or Wendy's or Burger King if they never see any marketing? PLEASE! That is the kind of food kids like - junk food! We liked it when I was a kid and they like it now. A kid is not going to only eat a vegetarian diet if only they can be shielded from food marketing.

If there is a need to control what kids eat, who should do that? THE PARENTS! Let the parents put limits on the types of food. We do not need government doing it. Perhaps the professor had a point - someone might need to step in, but it should be the parents to exert a little responsibility rather than needing the big hand of government to try to further protect us from ourselves from cradle to grave. The wakeup call, if needed, should be to the parents!

[BillTangre]

Kids Games and Food Companies

Kudos to the Center for Digital Democracy for publishing their
report. Most kids' websites are designed and programmed by
digital advertising agencies whose client base, by and large, are
adult-orientated. What they've done for adult consumers trickles
down to what they do for kids. There's not the same
consideration of what should be done?it's what can be done.
Companies concerned about their brands should hire kids designers like Oddtoe</
a> or look at sites that have done children's Web work well (very
few).
Kids are smarter than you think and having 'sugary snack'
approach you in a chat room won't help you sell more product. It
will just get you listed in an article like this one.

[manuelhp42]

Parents, Education...

I honestly feel the key is in education. We as parents need to make sure we educate them well to be able to make the best decisions when they are by themselves. There's no amount of protection (off- and online) that will shield children from the world out there. What will make them better citizens and more immune to "attacks" will be having a solid education.

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