Corporate America's Struggle On Students

In today’s market driven society children can’t escape ads and their marketers, even their schools are filled with the advertiser’s products distracting the youth from learning.

In Brian Rosenthal’s article “A ban on junk food may harm school funding.” he gives a report on what came of the ban, which was placed on different schools in Seattle. This ban was on junk food sold in school vending machines, “Permitting only milk, natural fruit juices, baked chips, and granola bars to be sold—items that have proven to be unpopular—student governments have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenues, leading to costly increases in fees for athletic and student activities and the cancellation of programs. Moreover, many students have turned to convenience stores and gas stations off campus to buy junk food, which undermines the ban's mission to promote healthy eating. Given these impacts, the Seattle school board may relax the ban.” ("A Ban on Junk Food May Harm School Funding.”)

“Thank you,” I say. “Today’s class is proudly sponsored by Nike, a strong advocate of education. When it comes to education, Nike says, ‘Just do it!’.” I take a swig of my Pepsi. “Can you guess who else is sponsoring our class today?” The few students who have actually done the reading chuckle because they know that today’s class is about the pervasiveness of consumerism in popular culture and in the

The food industry has mastered the delicate art of trickery over many years and has been able to convince consumers to buy their products, thinking they are healthy, when in reality they are contributing immensely to the obesity epidemic in America. Food corporations have developed a marketing strategy where they target juvenile audiences with their products. The companies do this by having advertisements on children's television programs encouraging children to buy their processed, high-sugar food products. Companies get kids’ attention by including beloved children's figures with their commercials, thus piquing their interest. Children view their favorite characters on television programs and ask their parents or guardians to purchase the items for them and the parents, remaining blissfully unaware that they are relinquishing their child's health to mass food corporations, concede and buy the food, which causes their child to become unhealthy and eventually obese. Another way food companies market their products is by embedding their advertisements with words like “Cheap, easy, fast”, which appeals to low income families looking for a inexpensive meal, or families on the go that need to quickly get a bite to eat. Due to the fact that unhealthy fast food choices are often the easiest method for gaining a quick meal, more and more families are

The organization of Debatewise stated that controlling the foods that students consume is important in combating obesity, as the dieting habits that most people form originate from when they were young. This is why it’s so crucial for schools to introduce healthier options in schools. If these unhealthy habits are developed, the students are “at higher risk for having other chronic health conditions and diseases that impact physical health..”, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These conditions can affect them emotionally and physically, including depression and obesity, which are important health issues both linked with the consumption of junk foods. The selling of junk food in schools is not a small problem either, as it concludes from a study by the Institute of Medicine in 2003 that elementary schools earn approximately $442 million annually from junk food sales. The importance of changing the school lunch programs to implement healthier options is high when there is so much money being spent by the students. Although obesity is a real problem due to the selling of junk food, it can lead to other problems that leading a healthier way of living could fix. For instance, the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension states junk foods, due to processing that removes vitamins, minerals, and fiber from the product, are empty calories that are ultimately worthless to the body. This alone contributes to unneeded weight gain and provides no additional sustenances that help the body grow. The Harvard Health Publications describes this to be a serious problem, and acknowledge not only this to be a complication, but mentions the unnecessarily high amounts of sodium levels in the foods, stating that “...the average

Business marketers have wanted to get into schools for decades. Know why? Picture rows and rows of captive students who can't leave, switch channels during the commercial, or drag away the giant machine that plugs sugar-loaded soda. That's money in the bank for any company that can bypass the school doors. (McCollum)

Throughout these last few decades, corporations have been entering schools and creating a pressure for the students to become life-long consumers for them. Companies do not really care for the education of the students; rather they care only about how they profit off of the children and young adults. Though there are different types of commercialism present in school campuses, a good percentage of the schools are receiving a majority of their sponsorships from soda and candy companies, which in turn is actually undermining the nutrition. Since there are a grand amount of advertisements being hung around the schools, students are being discouraged from critically thinking about brands, messages, or even the topics companies are conveying. Essentially, the freedoms of students are slowly being taken away because they are being brain-washed into becoming consumers of the different corporations from such an early

In today’s society, children attaining an education has become a very important essential in life. Most children in the United States of America attend public schools, due to the fact that parents do not have to pay for tuition. Public schools face many dilemmas and one of the most detrimental is budget cuts. Since public schools are often underfunded and “influenced by political winds and shortfalls”, it makes them quite vulnerable (Shortt 62). Due to budget cuts, schools agree to sponsor brands in order to gain funds. When schools agree to sponsor companies, not only does it harm children physically and mentally, it also distracts students from their goals in school. Companies care more about selling their products than the children’s welfare.

Everyday we see hundreds of ads that company’s advertise. We even see they while driving, but the advertising doesn’t make a person crash, so why would corporations advertising or selling their product in school affects a student's ability to learn? Corporations selling their products in a school allows the company to gain a profit while students enjoy a luxury in school such as a drink, but their products could be harmfull to the consumer.

Although Lewis’ study showed this message strategy to be most compelling especially in advertising, it bears the weight of finding a corporate conscience as in the case of Kraft Foods and their issue of targeting children in their ads (O’Rourke, 2013). Kraft Foods ads were effective in convincing children to want sugary items on a daily basis but failed to inform the young consumers of the health concerns with the product especially related to daily

The number of obese adults now exceeds 25 percent in nearly two thirds of states. The rates of obesity in America have risen in the last thirty years, costing Americans, health, happiness, money, and productivity (Obesity is a serious problem 12). In this research paper I will be telling you about arguments and opposing viewpoints about a growing epidemic in teens and adults, obesity. Currently this topic is very controversial about who is to blame the kids, the parents, or the advertising companies because the cost is so low and the advertisers are getting a lot of views because kids are less active. The biggest issue in my opinion is that the parents and children are not aware of all of the consequences and health risks they are putting not just themselves in but their children. With this paper I want to bring out these issues so the parents especially have a better knowledge of this whole situation. Also, in this paper I will be discussing how advertising, fast food, cost/portion size, and better education about obesity. Obesity is a growing epidemic in teens and adults across the world especially America and people need more education about this epidemic. My position on this topic is that I am against obesity.

Abstract When children cannot be with their parents, it is up to the schools to guide them to make the correct decisions in life. Government limits on sugary beverages in school is one area where they can make a positive impact on children’s lives. Sugar-filled drinks can lead to health issues for children such as obesity, poor dental health, Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart diseases. Obesity affects one-third of all U.S. children. Children will make better choices if the healthier options are the ones provided to them.

The obesity epidemic in America is ever increasing. It has spread across various age groups, areas and economic statuses. Obesity is the condition of being grossly fat or overweight. The spreading of the obesity problem has caused, “rates [to have] doubled in adults and tripled in children in recent decades” Dr. Frieden said (Hughes). This problem can be greatly reduced if schools took action in providing a healthy environment for students. In particular, Valencia High School can encourage healthy eating on campus by banning the selling of junk foods on campus and providing appetizing, healthy foods for the students to eat.

They might take into consideration that in an episode of the American animated sitcom, The Simpsons, Springfield Elementary signed a contract with a vending machine company that places very unhealthy foods in them. Nearly every child in the school becomes addicted, even brainwashed by the sugary treats, including the main protagonist Bart. Eventually, Bart becomes overweight from eating an excessive amount of candy, has a heart attack, and is placed in “fat camp”. The main message of this episode was to make the viewers aware of what they but into their bodies will have either a good or bad effect on them. But what many people see is an “evil” corporation that only cares about selling their products than the students. Yes, there are many companies and corporations where their top priority is is make money, but it’s the school and school districts job to know who is influencing their students and how it is influencing them in a positive and healthy

Thousands of advertisements on junk food, fast food, soft-drink, etc are shown on TV and heard over radio have indirectly lead to the grown of obesity and anorexia in teenagers. This is one of the critical global problem of today which is threatening our next generations for being unhealthy and being exposed to many serious diseases and sicknesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problem and anorexia.