Nanny State

So Ofcom has announced that it’s banning junk food advertising from breaks in programmes aimed at under 16s. This comes as the Government announces that it is introducing ‘Super Nannies’ to teach parenting skills to parents with anti social children.

The term Nanny State springs to mind. There were junk food adverts on TV when I was growing up and I’m not (and never have been) obese. That’s because my parents wouldn’t let me eat junk food all the time. Hello, parents of obese children, ever heard that one before? When I was a kid we went to McDonalds for special treats (about once every six months). It wasn’t my staple diet and I knew it would make me fat if I ate it all the time.

I see toddlers in prams drinking fizzy drinks, kids on their way to school eating bars of chocolate and families surviving on junk food all the time. And you know what? It disgusts me. There is enough information out there to know that eating and drinking junk all the time is bad for you and it’s up to parents to instill that in their children. Banning junk food ads isn’t going to stop people eating it and it’s ridiculous to think it will. All that it does is shift the blame from parents.

It’s all very well blaming the marketers or the advertisers for making junk food appealing to children but how about using a little discipline? Yes, there’s a thought. How about telling little Johnny no he can’t have sweets?

You don’t have to read a broadsheet or watch Channel 4 News to work out what’s good and what’s bad for you. You can read The Sun and get the same information. Everyone knows that fruit and vegetables = good and chocolate and burgers = bad. Its not rocket science.

At the risk of sounding controversial and right wing parents who let their children eat junk and then sit back and watch as they get bigger and bigger are abusing them. How can you sit back and watch your child get out of breath just climbing the stairs?

It’s the same with alcohol or credit card debt. You know that a whole bottle of wine isn’t very good for you and you also know that if you spend £1000 on your credit card you will have to pay it back. It’s not magic money. And I’m not talking about the people who get into debt just so that they can eat; I’m talking about the people who get into debt because they shop in Harvey Nichols all the time.

So Mr Blair, how about getting your team of ‘Super Nannies’ to teach people how to be responsible for their own actions?