Simply unfair.

"WASHINGTON - The nation's largest food and beverage companies spent about $1.6 billion in 2006 marketing their products - especially carbonated drinks - to children, according to a Federal Trade Commission report obtained by the Associated Press."

(July 28, 2008 ; The Associated Press.)

All I'm wondering is who are the people that work for these companies or are on the advertising teams that are just allowing this to happen? Directly advertising to (helpless) little kids is just unfair.  Running advertisements with their unhealthy products on stations such as Nickelodeon simply to ensure sales is wrong.  In 2005 88% of advertisements placed on Nickelodeon were for nutritionally poor products and of those, 79% were unhealthy products such as sugary cereals, candy, sugary drinks, fast food.  No wonder there are 22 million (approximately) children under the age of FIVE years old who are overweight.  

Thankfully, there are over 15 companies such as Dannon and Nestle to sign up against junk food ads for children.  They will only place ads that meet nutritional standards on children's stations or just ads directed towards children.  Thankfully these companies, CocaCola, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, and Burger King are all taking the hard step in the right direction.

Hills, Sarah. "Self regulation of junk food ads in the spotlight again as pressure mounts". 2008.