One of the seeds of obesity and unhealthy habits in America is the targeting of children by big soda companies through advertisements. It is no secret that sugary drinks like soda contain large amounts of sugar, and this consumption of sugary drinks can lead to obesity, as well as many other diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. So, why should these big soda companies be allowed to market such a product to a demographic not entirely responsible for their decisions? What can be done at a lawmaking level, such as the government or from the power of the people, to regulate these advertisements? This situation seems easy to solve if you think about it logically. All humans on this earth have free will and the right and ability to …show more content…
Soda companies' presence in schools should be discussed more often. Children must go to school and can spend up to seven hours within the school environment a day. A school environment is one in which children are there to learn, and more often than not, these children respect their teachers. The APA warns of possible harm from advertising such products within a school environment: “Commercial content delivered in schools may be assumed to have the tacit endorsement of respected teachers and school officials, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the advertising.” (APA, 2010). This is similar to the brand-image transfer with the PRC’s on college campuses. The commercialism present within a learning space is concerning as different companies will compete with each other for ad spots that show in schools, “School advertising also appears under the guise of educational TV. For instance, Channel One, available in 12,000 schools, provides programming consisting of 10 minutes of current events and 2 minutes of commercials. Advertisers pay $200,000 for advertising time and the opportunity to target 40% of the nation’s teenagers for 30 seconds.” (APA