One Ethical Issue

Marketing to Children: Accepting Responsibility by Gael O’Brien

McDonald’s Happy Meals for children with toys has come under attack, because selling toys with fast food for children exceed certain levels of salt, fat, calories and sugar. McDonald’s was accused of deceptive marketing practices to children, because they advertise using toys as an inducement to buy Happy Meals even though it can raise the rate of obesity in children. Also, burgers contain high sodium. Corporate Accountability International started a campaign to fire Ronald McDonald, the clown mascot for a long time, and encourage headquarters to stop marketing to children. In addition, a letter signed by 600 health professionals and organizations, critical of the link between fast food and obesity, was read at the shareholder meeting. Most people tended to oppose advertising to children, especially as related to the rate of obesity in children. For example, Susan Linn, director and co-founder of a national coalition of health care professionals, educators, parents and others called the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, said that marketing to children, whether the subject is food, toys, clothes or anything else raises enormous concerns. “There is no ethical, moral, social, or spiritual justification for targeting children in advertising and marketing, said Linn recently at a Conscious Capitalism Conference. Linn, who also teaches psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, cited obesity and a number of other issues impacting children and society that stem from targeting kids, including youth violence, sexualization, underage drinking and smoking, excessive materialism and the erosion of creativity. In this case, there should be no advertisement to children using toys as an inducement. It doesn't mean that targeting children in advertisement is not appropriate, but in here, according to health problem, especially obesity, child-directed advertising of unhealthful food to children has to be abated by law, because it can trigger the higher rate of diseases or death for children for future.