CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — Inappropriate advertising contributes to many kids’ ills, from obesity to anorexia, to drinking booze and having sex too soon, and Congress should crack down on it, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.

The influential doctors’ group issued a new policy statement in response to what it calls a rising tide of advertising aimed at children. The policy appears in December’s Pediatrics, published Monday.

“Young people view more than 40,000 ads per year on television alone and increasingly are being exposed to advertising on the Internet, in magazines, and in schools,” the policy says.

Some suggestions include:

• ban junk-food ads during shows geared toward young children;

• limit commercial advertising to no more than 6 minutes per hour, a decrease of 50 percent;

• restrict alcohol ads to showing only the product, not cartoon characters or attractive young women;

• prohibit interactive advertising to children on digital TV.

I personally have cut down my tv time by huge percentage points in the last few years. It seems that tv has become more negligent with the need for expensive ad space and show ratings.
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Kill Bad Influences. Shut off the tv.