Effect of Fast Food Advertising
The effects of fast food advertising on young and impressionable kids are widely debated. With so many other threats for parents to worry about, like drugs, pedophiles and violence, fast food ads may seem relatively harmless. Yet companies are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in this advertising for good reason, because it has proven to be very effective in getting kids hooked on junk food at a young age.
Recently, more than 550 health professionals signed an open letter to McDonald's imploring the fast food giant to stop marketing their junk food to kids. Many major newspapers across the US ran full-page ads featuring this letter. While the letter doesn't ask the company to stop selling junk food to kids, it does ask them to stop aggressively advertising these products to children But will it make a difference? Critics argue that while McDonald's may be junk food, it's also a personal choice and parents are ultimately responsible.