McDonald’s has got to stop targeting kids so much. Period.

Ronald McDonald, the infamous “clown” from the McDonald’s gang of misfits, actually visits elementary schools. While I am unclear what exactly he says at the elementary schools, I am quite clear what his purpose is: the “evil” clown wants to start a cycle of dependency and get the next generation addicted to McDonald’s. Gee, I was under the mistaken impression that the clown from Stephen King’s “It” was scary, but he has nothing on old Ronnie. I wonder if he learned his tricks from Joe the Camel.

Happy Meals are also a little creepy. Give your kid some crappy food and win a free prize. Nice strategy there.

And how about movie tie-ins or the convenient (and brightly colored) playgrounds in front or on the side of most suburban McDonald’s. That way, even if your child is not hungry for their disgusting hamburgers, they will still be enticed by the sweet life of the McDonald’s playground.

When will it stop? Childhood (and sadly adult) obesity is on the rise in the United States. According to an article in TIME magazine, children as young as three years of age are already fans of McDonald’s. I refuse to believe that this is all a result of bad parenting and instead believe that it is the tricky marketing of crap food to children through advertisements and other means.

In 2007, many food companies (also known as Junk Food Distributors) agreed to stop advertising during television shows that are specifically targeted to children such as Sponge Bob Square Pants. As far as I know, the company with the golden arches (nor any of its competitors) has ever agreed to do the same.

Congress needs to take action to stop fast food companies from preying on young children. The eating habits that today’s youth are getting may just challenge them with health complications for the rest of their lives. Recently, four governmental agencies have  taken steps to propose voluntary nutrition standards for advertising on television. At this stage, it appears that the standards are still voluntary, so it is necessary for parents and concerned citizens to take a stand. (For a really interesting perspective on the Obama Administration’s attempts to deal with this problem, check out this Huffington Post article.)