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Mike Berenstain and the Trouble with Commercials
How This Dad Is Fighting Back Against Ads Aimed at Children
By Donna Smith
A whopping 75 percent of children between the ages of 0 and 6 watch television every day – and often in their bedrooms. Unfortunately, this data from a recent study in the journal Pediatrics won't startle too many parents, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 not view television and that older children be limited to just two hours a day.
But it doesn't stop there. What comes along with television viewing? Commercials. Children are bombarded with advertisements about everything from cereals to toys. What parent has heard, "I want that!" or had an upset child on the cereal aisle because you won't buy the box with the red marshmallows and fun toy inside?
Mike Berenstain, son of Stan and Jan Berenstain, had enough of the advertisements aimed at children. His frustration resulted in a new adventure for those lovable bears, The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Commercials (HarperFestival, 2007).
"My wife and I raised three children, now ages 16 to 22, so I have experienced, firsthand, the constant bombardment of commercials that all children absorb when they watch TV," says Berenstain, who lives with his wife, Andrea, in Bucks County, Pa. "We experienced, too, the results – our kids wanted every toy, candy or cereal that was pitched to them. As a parent, I have been very frustrated by this, so I wanted to do something in this book to help other parents and children deal with this problem."