Posts Tagged ‘children’

“Smart Choices” made easy? Indeed…

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Reeses Puffs, named one of the least nutritious but heavily marketed cereals

Reese's Puffs, named one of the least nutritious but heavily marketed cereals

A few days ago, Yale University released the results of a study conducted around the television advertising of cereal to children. Also a few days ago, according to an editorial in this morning’s L.A. Times, the Food & Drug Administration made some noise about plans by the food industry to add “Smart Choices” labels to cereals and other foods which are high in sugar and other non-nutritious additives. On the one hand, I applaud the FDA for stepping up to protect consumers from misleading information, but on the other hand, I’m still furious it took this long. Really–the FDA is just noticing this now? For far too long, it has been too easy to slap a “Smart Choices” label on less-than-smart food.

Among the findings of the Yale study was research demonstrating that marketers in the cereal industry are pretty liberal with their health claims.  For example, Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cookie Crisp and Reese’s Puffs average three or more health claims per box.  A look at the Nutrition Facts box on Lucky Charms reveals that although it does provide several vitamins, it also contains a lot of sugar–14 grams per serving, and that’s a one cup/35 gram serving. And, that one serving fills 10% of the recommended daily intake of both carbohydrates and sodium. Perhaps I’m being cynical, but on top of this, I doubt that most kids eating Lucky Charms are only eating one cup.

Ok, so Lucky Charms is only advertising its strong points. That’s typical; if I wanted to sell a product I would also choose to accentuate the positive while downplaying the negative. But the real trap here is that most people see those few positive things, and forget to ask about the rest. In my opinion, the fact that Lucky Charms is 41% sugar outweighs the benefit of the calcium and vitamin D in it, since I can get my calcium and vitamin D in lots of other ways that don’t also require me to overload on refined sugar. Plus, research shows that fewer consumers under 30 years old are looking at nutrition labels.

The application of media literacy to  this issue is clear. Consumers and children are not asking questions about how something is being marketed to them (why are all the kids cereals on the bottom shelf at the supermarket?), nor can they identify the constructed message which may not tell the whole truth up front.  Like I said, I’m glad the FDA is doing something, and I hope the momentum continues. Better late than never.

–Emily Long

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Fast food marketing studies embedded in the omnibus bill?

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Who knew? According to a piece by Advertising Age’s Ira Teinowitz, the omnibus spending bill signed yesterday by President Obama contains a provision for studying which foods are healthy and can be marketed to teens. The study will be conducted by “The Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children,” which will be comprised of members of the Federal Trade Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and the Secretary of Agriculture. The Working Group is supposed to report back to Congress in 2010 with its findings and recommendations.

Let’s stop for a second and imagine a world where junk food goes the way of the cigarette, and can no longer be advertised on TV, in youth magazines, in theatres showing movies with a rating lower than an R. Let’s also think about how the Working Group will determine which foods are healthy and which foods are not–remember that back in 2003, the USDA determined that frozen french fries should be defined as a fresh vegetable. Depending on how it is prepared, almost any food can be made less healthy; slather an apple in caramel and peanut butter, and it’s suddenly no good at keeping that doctor away.

I applaud measures that challenge advertisers to be responsible in their tactics, but such measures are not enough without the education to accompany it. Where is the U.S. Department of Education in all of this to determine the impact of junk food ads on young minds? Who is going to look at how unhealthy foods and beverages are marketed in public schools? You can censor, ban and regulate all you want, but that doesn’t make junk food disappear, any more than it has made cigarettes go away. Education–in this case, specifically and especially media education–is the key for real and lasting change from within.

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2009 Toy of the Year Nominations

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

The Toy Industry Association has announced the nominees for 2009 Toy of the Year.  And since it’s the holidays, we thought we’d look at the toys in the Educational and Electronic toy categories to help you make smart gift choices this year–and of course we wanted to see which ones are incorporating media!  You can view the entire list of nominees here.

EDUCATIONAL TOY OF THE YEAR

Computer Cool School by Fisher Price: This kid-friendly keyboard attaches to your home computer, and includes a CD-ROM which needs to be installed (one time only) before the games begin.  Kids can use the special keyboard to navigate the program and do activities related to math, science, reading, art, vocabulary and more–all while learning the basics of using a computer.

Idbids Eco-Friendly Starter Kit by Idbids: The Idbid characters consist of Scott the Cloud, Lola the Flower or Waverly the Water Drop.  Each kit uses one of the characters to teach kids about the environment, including a storybook, Field Guide of small things kids can do to make a difference, and an online rewards program where kids get a certificate for completing their Field Guide mission.

TAG Reading System by Leapfrog: This pen-like device is used concurrently with a selection of over 20 books.  As the pen touches the page, it “reads” the words on the page, providing audio as they learn to read.  The pen has different settings which can be used for different reading levels.

Zillions Touchscreen ATM by Summit Products: This fancy piggy bank replicates an actual ATM to help kids learn about withdrawing money, saving money and how to count money.

V-Motion Active Learning System by Vtech: A wireless gaming console that works with your television for your kids to play learning and developmental games with characters like Scooby-Doo, Thomas the Tank Engine, WALL-E and others.

Discovery Kids Smart Animals Scanopedia by Jakks Pacific: A wand scans a barcode on Smart Animal figures to give more information about the animal, like what sound they make, what they eat, etc.  The wand can also be used with the provided poster for more activities.

EyeClops Bionicam by Jakks: This is essentially a microscope.  Kids look at specimens with the camera, save them to the camera’s flash drive, and can look at them more closely on the computer or share with friends online.

ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT TOY OF THE YEAR

Ultimate WALL-E Programmable Remote Control Robot by Disney: Based on the movie, this robot interacts with you to play music, dance and talk to you, all by using a remote control.

Imaginext Spike, the Ultra Dinosaur by Fisher-Price: Use a remote control to make Spike walk, stand, blink and more.

Fur Real Friends Biscuit My Lovin’ Pup by Hasbro: Looks like a dog, and responds to your voice to perform tricks and play.

U-Dance by Tiger Electronics: This is a wireless mat-free dancing game.  Players have motion-sensor detectors, and use their movements to control the game.  Kids dance to songs, or simulate running on a treadmill for a workout.

KidiJamz Studio by Vtech: The keyboard acts a mixing station, allowing kids to record and create their own songs.  Kids can use their voice, preprogrammed songs and sound effects as well.

RS Tri-bot by WowWee: A robot friend who dances, runs, tells jokes and stories.

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Rethinking E/I

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Perhaps when watching children’s television shows with your family, you’ve noticed a symbol with an “E/I” in the corner of your screen.  This stands for “Educational/Informative,” and started to show up when the FCC enacted the Children’s Television Act in 1990.  Using research showing that children watch an average of three hours of TV per day, the CTA required programmers to define the type of programs they were airing and to provide a minimum three hours of E/I programming per week between the hours of 7am and 10pm.

Sounds great, right?  But only when it works, which seems not to be the case.  Yesterday in Washington, D.C., a non-profit organization called Children Now released a report of the educational quality in children’s television programming entitled “Educationally/Insufficient? An Analysis of the Availability and Educational Quality of Children’s E/I Programming.” Some of the key findings in the study include:

  • 1 in 8 of children’s television shows meet the criteria for “highly educational”
  • Only 25% of broadcasters deliver any e/i content during weekdays, instead relegating it to weekends–a practice denounced by the FCC as far back as 1974
  • E/I shows aired on commercial (as opposed to public) broadcasts are far more likely to use a high amount of physical aggression as a function of the lesson, regardless of the targeted age group
  • Commercial E/I programs dedicate 3% of their content to art, 3% to health/nutrition, and 1% to math
  • According to the Annenburg Center Reports, E/I programs judged as highly educational made up 29% of total E/I programs in 1997-1998.  That number dropped to 20% in 2000, and has continued to drop to its current low of 13%

The most troubling part of the report is the last bullet.  One would hope or even expect that as time passes and more research is conducted, the educational quality of E/I programs would improve rather than steadily diminish.  Yes, this is another argument for media literacy, but in this case the lesson is perhaps most heavily applied to parents.  We have stressed the importance of making media a family affair–parents must be involved in their children’s media habits, watching their TV shows and talking to them about what they do online.  It is not safe to assume that your child is learning every time they watch a program with an E/I symbol.  If we as a culture demand higher quality programming and loudly refuse to accept what is currently excused as E/I, the landscape of children’s media can and will change.  The FCC has power, yes, but not as much power as you when it comes to determining what shows are good for your family.

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Woogi World: The Parental Review

Monday, October 27th, 2008

If you have children, you probably already know how difficult it is to find age-appropriate websites that you will be comfortable to let them to visit regularly. Far too many of the children sites out there are nothing more than advertising ploys for kids TV shows and toys.

Woogi World games, activities and adventures teach and promote positive behavior and character development. Woogi World is a social networking site and an online world for children with the goal of training elementary-age children to use the internet safely and to balance that with community service and family time so that children may become good influences in their homes, schools, and communities. Woogi World is also a resource for parents and teachers to use to teach children about Internet safety and some great characteristics, such as leadership, community service, responsibility, health and nutrition and, surprisingly, how to balance being online with being offline.

For many of us, we can condone certain Internet games and activities if we perceive that there is an educational benefit to them. To our children – it’s fun. But to a parent and an educator we want the benefits that we see in activities such as soccer, basketball, baseball and playing house –the all important benefits of exercise and teamwork and letting one’s imagination grow.

Woogi World’s parental interaction feature allows parents to monitor the amount of time their child is online and determine if they want their child to “chat” with other Woogi’s. A parent can also limit the days and amount of time the child can play as well as view the history of the account.

To sum it up, Woogi World offers a safe environment for children to get connected, socialize, and keep up with world around them. To that end, Woogi World launched an “Every Kid Votes” Campaign that allows children to participate in the voting process. Here, children get the opportunity to vote and learn the importance in our nation’s democratic process by involving children in the upcoming election, the Republican and Democratic parties, the candidates, and the candidates’ platforms.

Although my child isn’t learning his ABC’s and 123’s from Woogi World (I’ll save that for our Mommy and PoohBear reading time), he is nevertheless learning valuable skills. So, if you’re looking for an educational, and a fun place for your child on the Internet, go to Woogi World, create your own Woogi and one for your child, and have some fun — especially since Woogi World is absolutely free!

-Ellen Uzonwanne

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Waiting for Corporations to figure it out

Monday, August 4th, 2008

Here in New York City, after a resolution passed by the City Board of Health in 2006, you will find the caloric count listed next to most of your favorite fast food items on the overhead menus. The idea is that as long as you’re aware that the Double Whopper you’re about to order is almost 800 calories (alone, not including the large order of fries and soda you’ll most likely pile on), you’ll make your decision to proceed with or without your purchase informed and knowledgeable. I’m a big proponent of this measure because I theorize that it will cause a shift in the marketplace, where companies start offering more healthy options to their patrons in order to maintain their customer base (and perhaps even grow it). I don’t see the measure as going far enough, but I understand – baby steps.

The Associated Press recently reported on a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) that explains how few nutritional options the average parent has to choose from for their children when they eat out. The center found 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices at 13 restaurant chains they examined exceed 430 calorie, which is apparently the recommended per meal number of calories for children. I was shocked to learn that there was in fact a recommended amount – my parents sure weren’t trying to stick to a caloric maximum when they were insisting I clean my plate. In fact, our family rarely ate out at fast food joints and restaurants because my parents recognized the indulgence and the poor healthy options offered. Which leads me to my point. Is this report from the CSPI really necessary? How many parents honestly think a meal that consists of deep-fried chicken fingers, deep-fried french fries, or a fried-cheese sandwich swallowed down with a sugary soda or juice could be anything but unhealthy? Instead of waiting for corporations to make the products they offer healthier, parents need to take a more proactive role in their child’s nutritional well-being.

This falls right in line with the LAMP’s goal, bringing families together through their consumption of media in order to make it a healthy and robust relationship rather than waiting for the media companies to make that decision for them.

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Keeping a cool head

Friday, April 18th, 2008

I was going through my RSS reader, where I have cataloged a long list of blogs that I follow, when I came upon a very interesting Ypulse (a great source for information regarding media and youth) link:

- My Beautiful Mommy (WTF? Plus like mother like daughter?Gag) (Boing Boing) (Jezebel)

I clicked on the first link, where it took you to a story on boingboing.net about a new children’s book called “My Beautiful Mommy”. The book covers the various plastic surgery “improvements” a mother of a young daughter goes through, trying to explain to the little girl how these changes will make her mommy better. It’s written by a plastic surgeon named Michael Salzhauer, whose intentions for writing this surgical enhancement-themed tale are obvious.

Immediately, I was shocked. I was OUTRAGED. How Dare HE?!? I wanted to craft a scathing post, criticizing this unethical practice of marketing plastic surgery = happiness to children, and even using the classic format of a child’s book to do so. But, I scrolled further down the page to find an update to this post.

Turns out the book is self-published, and it isn’t going to be appearing in your child’s bookbag anytime soon. PHEW! What a sigh of relief.

Or is it?

What I was reacting to were the remnants filtered through various blogs and online journals of a nearly hysteric piece on the book in Newsweek. How can a book that’s self-published and who’s ISDN# was rather difficult to locate warrant a lengthy article drumming up paranoia? What is Newsweek attempting here? I can’t help but think that Newsweek was attempting to gain publicity for itself on the back of a rather meaningless publication from a plastic surgeon with poor judgment.

“Find item that has potential to alarm”

+

“Shock publicity and journalism”

=

“Newsweek viewed as Public Defender and do-gooder ”

The formula isn’t new, for sure, but its still alarming. How Ypulse reacted to it is something I’ve wanted the LAMP itself to be aware of.

We seek to be a resource for youth, parents and educators, and in this day and age of easy self-promotion through blogs and other publishing methods that spurns the content creators to pump out as much as possible, there is a real impetus on responsibility for those organizations who seek to be effective and not alarmist. It’s important to remember when seeking publicity can also fan the flames of hysteria.

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