Obesity has been a constant battle for years, but it has recently become one of the fastest growing epidemics in America, affecting all ages . According to the 17th Surgeon General of the United States, Richard H. Carmona, "Today's children could become the first generation in history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents" (Hub pages) . Essentially, obesity has become a growing problem among younger people. As troubling as it may seem, there is still hope for them if we act now. Although children are direct targets of obesity, they should also receive special attention in preventing the spread of obesity. If we limit advertisements targeting children, establish regulations for child care programs, and educate parents and children about healthy, active lifestyles, then obesity could be avoided in future generations. Living in a world of technology, media and advertisements can be seen everywhere, which is why very influential on children and adolescents. Today, on average, children and adolescents are exposed to approximately twelve to twenty-one food and beverage advertisements each day, with very little emphasis on fitness and nutrition (57). Considering how many hours we spend watching TV, listening to music, and surfing the Internet, that's a bit unsettling. Additionally, research by Victoria Rideout reveals that "over the course of a year, adolescents saw an average of 25 minutes of public health messages about fitness and nutrition and 40 hours of advertising about food and nutrition." drinks” (63). Letting the evidence speak for itself, children are being led to lead sedentary lives by consuming large amounts of highly processed foods and drinks. If we stop advertisers from directing their ads to the middle of the paper, it is the lives of those who will come after us and put an end to the terrible diseases that claim many lives due to obesity. .Works CitedNihiser, Allison, Caitlin Merlo and Sarah Lee. “Preventing obesity through schools.” The Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 41.S2 (2013): 27-34. Print. "America's Obesity Epidemic: Who's to Blame?" » HubPages. HubPages and Web. February 22, 2014. Reynolds, Meredith A., Caree Jackson Cotwright, Barbara Polhamus, Allison Gertel-Rosenberg, and Debbie Chang. “Obesity prevention in early childhood care and education: successful initiatives across a spectrum of opportunities.” The Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 41.S2 (2013): 8-18. Print.Rideout, Victoria. “Assessing the impact of marketing and industry.” Measuring progress in obesity prevention: workshop report. Washington, DC: National Academies, 2012. 57-71. Print.