California votes to ban toys in happy meals

[SIN1488]

I kind of agree, but it probably won't completely stop the problem. Maybe they should only give the toys with the "healthier" meals, so kids want to get those instead. Even though it would taste like crap compared to the other meals, they would eventually get used to it.

When I saw this thread I thought they were banning them because they are cheaply made and probably contain a bunch of toxic chemicals in them. >_<

And it's funny how people say kids can't easily make decisions, yet they can easily convince their parents to buy them fast food instead of a healthier home cooked meal.

 

[Pokeyomom]

Honestly, I feel that this is just another example of policymakers trying to rectify mistakes that fall under parental responsibility.

Parents should be the ones instilling healthier dietary habits on their children at an early age. This isn't to say that all of them will, but measures such as a "fast food tax" would produce more results, as it has shown to have in other areas where it has been implemented.

The fact of the matter is, most people who buy fast food do so because... well, they need food. Fast. The removal of toys from Happy Meals isn't going to stop a parent from buying a burger on their way to work, nor so a happy meal for their child on their way to day-care.

A fast food tax would be a more effective alternative, or even better, price ceilings for healthier foods. A lot of people say that they would eat healthier on a more regular basis if they could afford it, && it is true that healthy food is more expensive. If a government should do anything at all, it's prioritizing farm subsidation for producers of healthy food or setting a cap on the price at which certain foods could be sold is a much more efficient solution, because it's actually tackling the problem at its root.

Moreover, I see no legal precedent that allows state government to control who can && cannot sell plastic children's toys. It'll be interesting to see them trying to defend the legitimacy of this action if it's ever called into question.

What I see in this is state politicians making it look like they're doing something, but doing it in a way that they can't be blamed when the legislation proves useless

We should all be trying to rectify mistakes that fall under the catagory of parental responsibility, because most parents are uninformed/irresponsible in regards to these sorts of situations. That being said- you're absolutely right about the healthy food conundrum. It's a damn shame that we can buy 10 big macs for the price of a couple pieces of fruit.

Either way- these toys are just useless junk anyways. Just more waste to stuff in a land fill...

 

[Zet]

Happy meals aren't happy without the toy ;o;

 

[Katie_Q]

The kids have parents. If parents don't want their kids obese, they'll try and get them to exercise in some fun form. If the kids don't want to exercise, the parents can still buy them healthy foods and get them better toys then crappy mcdonalds ones. I had plenty of happy meals when I was little, and I've always been thin. Never had any problems with my weight. Then again maybe I'm just weird, I can eat all the junk I want, heaps of it, sit at home doing nothing, and still don't put on weight! Seriously, wtf? I bet I'll be fat when I'm older, really obese.

They do usually sell the toys by themselves as well though don't they? Kids can go to maccas, get a sorta healthy meal and buy a toy. EDIT: Their parents can get them the healthy meal and toy. Oh and drive them there.

 

[robobbiebob]

a happy meal is a treat it shouldnt be given to children all the time so they shouldnt have to change the for nor the toy, it shouldnt be changed its perants fault for being to lazy to give there kids an apple or summit healthy.

well thats the case here anyway.

and also you can buy the toy here for £1 if they wanted it so much....

 

[Kenpari]

I don't think this will do much. I understand why they would do it, but I honestly see it as pointless. There are a few kids that get happy meals because they want the toys, sure, but for the most part this won't help prevent obesity. People will still just get it to be getting food. I suppose it may help by whatever small amount.

 

[InMooseWeTrust]

It seems like a nanny state is the answer to all of the problems caused by the mass media. Yes, kids are heavily advertised into eating junk and being unhealthy in just about every aspect. However, these people in the media are trying to sell a product that a certain demographic wants. If you don't want your kids to pay attention to this crap, who's stopping you from turning off the television and having some good, healthy family time? Also, the politicians having control over children's lives (instead of parents, which is how it has been since the dawn of time) implies that the politicians somehow own all of the people in the country. That's just sick, sad, and wrong.

Besides, why are they banning the TOYS and not the junk food? This seems counterproductive, because now the kids will actually eat more junk without playing. Playing is how they learn, and over time, kids are losing the opportunity to play.

You can also get the toys without the happy meals, like I used to do. I was health-conscious (my parents weren't....) as a small child, and a toy wasn't going to coerce me into eating junk. In fact, you can only get coerced into these things if you understand how you're being manipulated, and it's easy to teach children how to not be manipulated. I've done it to my siblings so don't tell me it can't be done.

 

[SIN1488]

Besides, why are they banning the TOYS and not the junk food? This seems counterproductive, because now the kids will actually eat more junk without playing. Playing is how they learn, and over time, kids are losing the opportunity to play.

They can't ban the food because that's what makes the business. If they ban the toys, they will still get many customers, but if they ban the food, they will go out of business. Also, good luck fighting those big companies in court to get it banned, as they can easily afford a huge team of lawyers.

And don't you love how Mcdonalds helps kids with cancer, yet in turn they give kids obesity? Yeah, sounds like they really care....

 

[InMooseWeTrust]

They can't ban the food because that's what makes the business. If they ban the toys, they will still get many customers, but if they ban the food, they will go out of business. Also, good luck fighting those big companies in court to get it banned, as they can easily afford a huge team of lawyers.

And don't you love how Mcdonalds helps kids with cancer, yet in turn they give kids obesity? Yeah, sounds like they really care....

Actually, if they ban toys, they might actually get less customers if the kids are less enthusiastic about buying the meals. A lot of things government does will have unintended consequences that do great harm. It's like how when the government put a tax on yachts, the yacht industry almost went completely bankrupt (along with jobs) because it was too expensive for people who were not already millionaires to afford one anymore. I'm not making this up.

McDonald's doesn't give people obesity. You don't have to buy burgers. You can buy a salad. PARENTS don't have to buy happy meals for their kids. No matter how much kids pester them, if the parents refuse to pay, then who can do anything about it?

I'd be more concerned with ideologue politicians than business lawyers. A lot of things big businesses do that most people find reprehensible are the result of things imposed on them by government in the first place.


Would you eat at McDonald's, get fat, and then sue McDonald's for making you fat? You CHOOSE to eat junk food, and it's somehow the fault of fast food restaurants.

 

[SalemGreen]

As a Parent myself I can say that I'm honestly laughing at how some of the people in this thread are going to be in for a helluva surprise when their kids come. It's not that easy, guys. When your kid wants something because all of his friends are getting it and it's on TV all the time, you kinda have to either get it for them, or be the bad guy. Statistically, upsetting your kid like that that frequently will also lead into some child issues INCLUDING obesity so that's obviously not a solution. Turning off the tv? Family time? Yeah, just let me know how that goes when you have a kid. You'd have to throw out the TV until they are 16 in order for that to work, then they have their friends in school making fun of them for it.

Those suggestions don't work.


This law is a great one though and I will support it for my area. It's a great idea, and will help prevent kids from wanting these unhealthy meals so greatly.

 

[InMooseWeTrust]

As a Parent myself I can say that I'm honestly laughing at how some of the people in this thread are going to be in for a helluva surprise when their kids come. It's not that easy, guys. When your kid wants something because all of his friends are getting it and it's on TV all the time, you kinda have to either get it for them, or be the bad guy. Statistically, upsetting your kid like that that frequently will also lead into some child issues INCLUDING obesity so that's obviously not a solution. Turning off the tv? Family time? Yeah, just let me know how that goes when you have a kid. You'd have to throw out the TV until they are 16 in order for that to work, then they have their friends in school making fun of them for it.

Those suggestions don't work.


This law is a great one though and I will support it for my area. It's a great idea, and will help prevent kids from wanting these unhealthy meals so greatly.

By your logic, it would be a good idea to ban the food. No one's banning the food. They're banning the TOYS. The food will still exist in some way.

 

[Trap-Eds]

As a Parent myself I can say that I'm honestly laughing at how some of the people in this thread are going to be in for a helluva surprise when their kids come. It's not that easy, guys. When your kid wants something because all of his friends are getting it and it's on TV all the time, you kinda have to either get it for them, or be the bad guy. Statistically, upsetting your kid like that that frequently will also lead into some child issues INCLUDING obesity so that's obviously not a solution. Turning off the tv? Family time? Yeah, just let me know how that goes when you have a kid. You'd have to throw out the TV until they are 16 in order for that to work, then they have their friends in school making fun of them for it.

Those suggestions don't work.


This law is a great one though and I will support it for my area. It's a great idea, and will help prevent kids from wanting these unhealthy meals so greatly.

...I feel sorry for you. Really. Your kid must be a hoot. :/

I honestly don't see how banning toys will get the kids to stop eating the food. Half of them don't even EAT the food, they just play with the toy.

 

[Sylphiel]

As a Parent myself I can say that I'm honestly laughing at how some of the people in this thread are going to be in for a helluva surprise when their kids come. It's not that easy, guys. When your kid wants something because all of his friends are getting it and it's on TV all the time, you kinda have to either get it for them, or be the bad guy. Statistically, upsetting your kid like that that frequently will also lead into some child issues INCLUDING obesity so that's obviously not a solution. Turning off the tv? Family time? Yeah, just let me know how that goes when you have a kid. You'd have to throw out the TV until they are 16 in order for that to work, then they have their friends in school making fun of them for it.

Heh.

Parents do not have to always buy their kid a happy meal every time the kid wants a toy - sometimes you kind of have to be the "bad guy", because kids, especially younger ones, are usually not that well informed about what's "good" or "bad" for them.

Again, it still boils down to them banning stuff because people are not making proper decisions for their kids. A happy meal with a toy once in a while? Sure, why not. But if you're (general you, not specific) getting your kid a happy meal every time they demand one for a toy, then something's wrong, and it's not with the fast food places.

It's still the wrong execution.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

You can get them something healthier.
You can get toys at a toy store without the happy meal.

 

[Sneeze]

That why you take said kid to McDonalds every two weeks or so, if it's become a routine and something they are used to they'll have no reason to throw a tantrum when they haven't been in one week.

 

[salochin]

Ban on toys? REALLY? Of course since all junk food consists of Mickey D's right? Why not subsidize healthy foods? OTHER THAN CORN! Corn honestly when made into thousands of foods not corn is bad, High fructose corn syrup is horrible just so you know (Oh hey wouldn't you know it makes up mc donalds food). Parents go for quick and cheap, not becuase their kid is complaining to get a cheap toy.

My mom happens to work at a mc donalds, guess what happens to most of the toys THEY GET THROWN OUT. So no it's not the toys it's the parents who buy the crap food. It's not the choice between a toy and non-clogged arteries, it's cheap and quick versus effort and cost.

 

[Aureol]

As a Parent myself I can say that I'm honestly laughing at how some of the people in this thread are going to be in for a helluva surprise when their kids come. It's not that easy, guys. When your kid wants something because all of his friends are getting it and it's on TV all the time, you kinda have to either get it for them, or be the bad guy. Statistically, upsetting your kid like that that frequently will also lead into some child issues INCLUDING obesity so that's obviously not a solution. Turning off the tv? Family time? Yeah, just let me know how that goes when you have a kid. You'd have to throw out the TV until they are 16 in order for that to work, then they have their friends in school making fun of them for it.

My parents did a pretty good job, and there's 10 of us (not all of us are well-behaved, either). I also babysit two nephews often (6-year-old and 2-year-old, been around them for pretty much their whole lives), and I know how to say "no," even in situations when their parents would probably let them. And I'm willing to put up with being the bad guy for a while, too. Maybe it'll be different once I have my own kids, but if my parents can do it with 10, I sure hope I'm competent enough to do it with 4 or so.

Maybe it's different in your case, but as far as I see, it's just about showing them that you're in charge. If kids are impossible to that extent, there is counseling and other appropriate programs available.

Anyways, this is another way the government is trying to override parental responsibilities. Too often do we fail to realize how much parents actually can do. Next, they'll start banning popular TV shows because it encourages children to stay inside.

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I say "Screw off"

Not everyone who eats at McDonalds is obese. Not every child who eats a Happy Meal is overweight. The toys certainly are not to blame.

You can order a Happy Meal with apples. Parents responsibility to do that. Also parents choice to go to McDonalds or not in the first place. Doesn't matter if there is a toy, or how badly the child wants it, the child has no way of getting to McDonalds without their parent. So, parent is to blame not the toy.

Also... when I was little, the toys were significantly cooler than they are now. There were some cool "collector's" sets. If you got all the parts from the Inspector Gadget set you could build a large Gadget figure. People were going crazy over the 101 Dalmations toys. etc. If we wanted a particular toy, but not the food - which was often. We'd go there, pay $1 and get a toy and leave. Wouldn't be able to do that now. There are people who do legitimately collect these things. And now they can't because of bad parents.

 

[InMooseWeTrust]

TRIFORCE89, I know exactly what you mean. I was one of those kids. My parents forced me to overeat junk food thinking I'll starve to death or something (I've always been skinny), but I only wanted the toys.

 

[Sotto Voce]

When it comes right down to it, does this in of itself really matter?
So you don't get toys with some meals, big deal.

Think about it.