Nickelodeon & Kelloggs taken to court by angry parents

Advocacy groups and parents are suing Nickelodeon and Kellogg Co. for their marketing of junk food to children. Most of the food advertised is high-calorie and low-nutrition. Sherri Carlson from Wakefield, MA says this about her children's behavior in supermarkets:

"But then they turn on Nickelodeon and see all those enticing junk-food ads. Adding insult to injury, we enter the grocery store and see our beloved Nick characters plastered on all those junky snacks and cereals."

Sherri, other parents and the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood are suing Kellogg Co. and Nickelodeon's parent Viacom Inc. for their longterm omission towards childrens' health. However, both companies say they have been helping childrens' health. Nickelodeon spokesperson Dan Martinsen said "the kids' cable network has been a leader in helping kids and their families be more active and healthier and has pushed advertisers for more balance in their offerings." Kelloggs said they have been establishing healthy eating habits and encouraging exercise.

A food industry-backed group defended the companies, saying the lawsuit assumes that parents can't turn off televisions, have no control over the food they buy and can't make their kids go outside to play.

The fight of these adults can be compared to adults fighting for child labor laws in the early 20th century. Children were allowed to, and sometimes forced, to work unreasonabley long hours and do dangerous jobs and at very young ages. Once Child Labor Laws were introduced, there was a limit on age and the hours of work.