In the modern day and age, childhood obesity is becoming more and more prevalent across the globe. This can cause serious health issues such as increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and an inability to engage in physical activities.
One main contributing factor to increasing obesity rates in children is the overconsumption of processed foods: they contain excessive amounts of artificially manufactured ingredients, which are not only extremely unhealthy to individuals, but also contain chemicals to keep consumers addicted by activating a neurological stimuli in the brain called dopamine. For instance, overconsumption of sugar is the leading factor of obesity among children worldwide: the discovery and development of artificial sweeteners has lead to majority of brand-name products using it as an alternative to natural options due to the cost-saving benefits exhibited. Moreover, corporations are not the only ones to be blamed for this sudden spike in obesity rates, as parents, too, share equal responsibility. Children do not have the necessary information and wisdom to decide whether certain foods they consume are healthy or not: they make decisions based on the taste of the food.
To combat this pandemic, parents should teach and inform their children about the importance of managing portions, especially for sweets, in addition to actively monitoring the types of foods consumed by their children. A more economical aspect however, could be in the form of government intervention through production regulations, including an increase in taxes, a limit on units able to be produced, as well as funding health campaigns informing the general public about the risks of overconsumption.
Personally, I view childhood obesity as a significant problem to the future of our world, as well as to our future generations, due to studies revealing that if children are obese early in life, there is a high probability that it will remain unchanged throughout adulthood. I believe parents bear a greater burden than companies, as it is their moral responsibility to educate, inform and supervise what their children are consuming.