Instead of fighting to keep Jesus in Christmas, these Doctors are fighting for our kids

Below is a news release on a policy statement appearing in the December issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

For Release: December 4, 2006, 12:01 am (ET)

CHICAGO - With young people viewing an estimated 40,000 ads a year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is alarmed that such exposure may contribute significantly to obesity, poor nutrition, cigarette and alcohol use.

In a revised policy statement, “Children, Adolescents, and Advertising,” the AAP outlines several recommendations to help mitigate advertising’s harmful effects, but says one simple solution would be to have children and adolescents become critical media viewers, also known as being media literate.

Several European countries forbid or severely curtail advertising to children, the statement says. In the U.S., however, selling to children is “business as usual.”

Among the recommendations: ads for erectile dysfunction (ED) be confined to after 10 pm.

According to the statement, there is considerable evidence that birth control advertising could lower teen pregnancy rates even further without affecting teen sexual activity. However, when birth control advertising is rare on prime time TV, it makes no sense to allow ED drug ads that may confuse children and teens about human sexuality and make sexual activity seem like a recreational sport, the AAP says.

They've posted the whole thing online.

Ho, ho, ho...