Americans have always had the mentality that bigger is better. Bigger cars, bigger homes, and higher salaries are just a few of the ways Americans supersize their lives. But there's something else that's increasing in American households: their weight. Portion sizes are out of control, video games still beat a playground, and everything is motorized. This is how American children grow up. But in a society so obsessed with being beautiful and therefore thin, how can these children become so tall? Advertisements. The news is attacking ads aimed at children, and rightly so, they show unhealthy lifestyles and eating habits in a socially acceptable way. Children watch cartoons. Simply put, this statement has been true for many, many years. Saturday morning cartoons have been a staple in American homes for some time now, and between these programs, in an era when children are known to watch them, a series of commercials showing McDonalds, Pepsi, cereal Kellogg, etc. kids want to get up after a morning watching TV and help themselves to a bowl of sugary cereal, or convince their parents to take them to McDonald's for a Happy Meal lunch. These ads show children’s “wants” rather than their “needs.” These advertisements promote negative social consequences, such as obesity and health risks including smoking and alcohol.SummaryThrough an examination of the context of advertising aimed at children, an explanation of each side of the argument and an analysis of each side, it can be proven that regulation of advertising aimed at children should be put in place. First, the context of the problem will be discussed as well as a history...... middle of paper ......Union. Internet. October 24, 2011. .Kennedy, Nicki. “Stop in the name of public policy.” Journal of Communications Law and Policy (2008): 1-25. Print. Neuman, William. "U.S. Stagnates in Efforts to Limit Food Ads to Children - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking news, world news and multimedia. July 23, 2010. the web. October 24, 2011. .Ramsey, William. “Rethinking the Regulation of Advertising to Children.” Federal Journal of Communication Law (2006): 1-33. Print.Shin, Annys. “Ads aimed at children face stricter scrutiny.” The Washington Post: national, global and regional news and headlines - The Washington Post. The Washington Post, November 15, 2006. Web. October 24. 2011. .