Who Your Kid Watches on TV Determines What They Eat

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We’ve all been there—your alarm didn’t go off, you’re way behind schedule, the kids aren’t listening, the washer is leaking and the dog managed to chew up your favorite work shoes. Lost in thought and the hectic morning, you forget to pack your kids a snack for preschool. No biggie, right? The teachers will understand and they always have plenty of extra snacks to share. 

    So you drop the kids off and snack time rolls around. The teacher gives the kids several options but each little hand reaches for the exact same thing: character-themed fruit snacks. 

A normal but still unhealthy choice. You’re only slightly disappointed in them, but who can blame them. They’re kids, right? And I’m sure they taste delicious. 

    But, is it the artificial fruit flavors that really sold the kids on their choice of fruit snacks? Recent research at the University of Illinois shows that it is probably not. 

    According to the research, it’s neither the flavor, nutritional value, or picking “what their parents would choose” that influences the children’s snack choices (Nelson, Ahn). Majority of preschool-aged children look for their favorite character, on the box or the food itself, as the deciding factor to what they will eat.

    Frozen-themed fruit snacks, Paw Patrol cereal or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse pretzels are almost guaranteed to be more of a hit than plain snacks. The association the children have with certain characters, whether they are from a TV show, a movie, or book, override nearly every other association (such as health and taste) children have about food (Nelson, Ahn). Another study done at Yale University also found that this correlation is much stronger in unhealthy, high-sugar snacks (“Influence of Licensed Characters…”). So, if you’re thinking you can trick your kids by putting Minnie Mouse on a carrot, chances are they won’t have it.

    The research concluded that kids, as early as the age of four, are able to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy snacks by looking at the packaging and using “heuristic methods” (looking for context clues). Despite this fact, the children disregarded the health benefits and continued with character-themed food. They also acknowledged that their parents would probably choose something different from the character snack and again, continued with the character snacks (Nelson, Ahn). Even when presented with the exact same snack, one plain and one character-themed, the children insist on the characters.

    Bottom line is, kids love their characters more than anything when it comes to food. So, the next time your kid plops down on the couch, look at who’s on the screen. Chances are, that’s who they’ll be reaching for in the supermarket aisle.