thr33beggars: You know, now that I think about it, I can’t remember the last time I saw McDonald’s (or any fast food restaurant, really) advertising their toys on television.
Thinking about it more, I also haven’t watched anything besides streaming services in the last few years, besides sports and stuff like that.
bayls123: I live in Quebec. Watching Canadian/local tv stations vs. American ones are SO different its hilarious. The U.S ones have ads for food and prescription drugs as a majority.
TooShiftyForYou: *In Sweden, all advertising aimed at kids 12 and under is banned.*
This must make Swedish parents very happy.
bolanrox: so no kids meal poutines? they have to get the grownup size?
canada_mike: I’m 33 and I still love those damn happy meals
and am obese
imakenosensetopeople: Hahaha this is brilliant. Too bad it would never fly in the States, where it is desperately needed.
Edit – the other ad control they need is prescription drugs. Fuck prescription drug advertisements direct to consumers.
enrodude: Its not just Quebec. I live in Ontario and cant remember the last time Ive seen McDonalds ads for kids.
Waibashi: When I was a kid, I kept watching YTV and I was always so stocked to see toy ads… but as a parent, thank you Quebec for that!
caitlington: Watching American tv always blows my mind. All the ads are for lawyers and medication.
Nulono: How the hell do they enforce that? How does one distinguish an ad targeting 12-year-olds from an ad targeting 13-year-olds?
TheRealGouki: Does any kid really care about the toy these days?
swild89: And less whiny “mommmmmmm can we get that useless cheap tv as toooooooy”
It’s been nice.
googleitfirst90: “Quebec banned companies from preying on impressionable children.”
There FTFY
jb69029: This is what happens when your government isn’t run by big corporations.
DonkeyTypeR: My 5 year old niece watches no TV and has very limited access to videos via iPad/phone.
She is clueless. Coca Cola? McDonalds? No fucking idea.
I think’s that’s great parenting on my sister and partner’s part.
TurtleFisher54: TIL marketing works
Cantax1: This should be done everywhere. Amazing that many bureaucrats don’t consider these studies and take action because it will save a lot of health care costs down the road.
Also, whenever I go to grocery store, i see all the junk and sugary drinks besides the cash out, to tempt an adult is one thing but our children also are easily tempted to try all sorts of junk and its getting harder and harder to control and I see this pandemic in almost all the major chains
z4cc: Cause Quebec is better than all of you. Suck it
SeahawkerLBC: It’s over a 10$ billion industry based off of Pester Power. Not going away anytime soon, unfortunately.
CreepyFriki: I think there’s something similar on Chile. I’ll miss Kinder Surprise Eggs…
p1um5mu991er: ba da ba ba baaaa
no toy for you
pascontent: I thought that was Canada wide? Is YTV still on? If so, do they still have those rad ads for Nerfs and toys ads playing during children’s shows?
bdizzyhrizzy: Or they had a huge program put in place across many levels to lower childhood obesity rates. I highly doubt just cutting McDonald’s ads with toys single handedly lowered obesity rates.
Frog_Todd: That’s a shame. Some of my favorite memories was going to McDonalds as a special treat and getting a happy meal with a [BTTF Deloreon](http://www.babbtechnology.com/Collect/bttf/mcdonalds.jpg) (if memory serves that dang spark machine was controversial even at the time) or a [Jumping Mario](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jiR3MFM_d-s/maxresdefault.jpg) or [Streex Hovercars](http://www.justgovintage.com/images/TOY-MCD-1992-Mini%20Streex-Black%20Arrow.JPG). Those toys were great.
MasterFanatic: Advertising really does so much.
V0dkafa11: Imagine growing up where it feels like there’s nothing out there for you. Back pats all around, you French-speaking joy killers.
vvnnxx: >the study suggested that the ban cut money spent on fast food in Quebec by 13 per cent per week. Dhar and Bayles estimated that the steep cut in expenses meant a decrease of 11 million to 22 million fast food meals eaten per year, or 2.2 billion to 4.4 billion fewer calories consumed by kids.
Eh idk about that math. And seems kinda ridiculous to point out the amount calories, almost trying to make the numbers bigger
HanginToads: It’s a good idea, but it’s kind of depressing that the government would have to go to that extreme when all it should take is the parents saying no.
My daughter loves McDonalds, but I only stop to get a happy meal from there maybe once or twice a month.
iPersian: Ayyyy
bromley2: TIL parents cant monitor what their kids eat and watch so they let the government curb speech in Quebec.
JeremyHall: Sometimes nature is all the law you need.
danyellan: Everyone else has this figured out except for the states.
XiphiasZ: But the toys are low calorie and very filling. I would think they’d counteract obesity.
KingsDontAge: C’est bon c’est bon
tankbuster183: Even if all the commercials were targeted at kids, it’s still a parent’s responsibility to feed them. Commercials don’t make poor parenting choices.
SmG18LA: Someone post how we don’t give a shit ABOUT OUR CHILDREN in the US.
Edit: good post, shaming states.
CrackItJack: Aaannnnd as a consequence TV networks have a terrible time funding the production of kid programming because of a lack of sponsors. It has basically killed quality local programs. This used to be top tier, second-to-none artistic work; now all you can get is imported/translated stuff, which is good too but with different cultural references.
JamesMercerIII: Meanwhile in the US:
>b-b-b-but regulation is bad!
Cartoonzinho: But muh freedums
someaccount467: Seeing as how kids can’t physically drive to a fast food restaurant or pay for their meals as a young child, it’s the parents anyway.
I’d wager that this change was resulting from an overall campaign to stop child obesity and was a tally mark in a long list of changes.
loschompers: They should ban Reddit in Quebec. that would result in a 8 billion point drop in sanctimonious stupidity.
CheckingOutTheThing: I wish America would do this. My kids are hooked on this shit.
GmPrgrmmng: Ads should be banned altogether.
Reacher-Said-Nothing: Quebec banned everything. [You can’t even get on a bus with sunglasses on in Quebec now.](https://www.mtlblog.com/whats-happening/you-can-no-longer-wear-sunglasses-on-an-stm-bus)
Any time a commercial in Canada has some promotion, in the fast talking “terms and conditions may apply” voice at the end, they always end with “Not available in Quebec”.
Le_Reddit_Elder: Won’t do shit. Obesity is due to low income plain and simple. Eating Canadian mcdonalds won’t make you obese because kids don’t eat it daily.