Advocates for the fight against childhood obesity often point a finger at television, saying kids who spend a lot of time in front of the tube are at risk for being overweight. But new research shows that commercials—rather than TV  time itself—are actually what’s to blame. A new study conducted at the University of California Los Angeles tracked the viewing habits of more than 2,000 children (with the help of caregivers) and found that the more ads (whether in the form of commercials or product placement in movies) a child was exposed to, the greater her risk for obesity.

Just how many ads do kids see every day? Here are some startling stats from the Kaiser Family Foundation:

• Kids ages 2-7 on average see 12 televised food ads per day, or about 4,400 per year

• Kids ages 8-12 on average see 21 televised food ads per day, or about 7,600 per year

• Teenagers on average see 17 food ads per day, or about 6,000 per year.

Yikes! But what to do? Instead of banning the tube completely, try recording your kid’s favorite shows. When she does settle down to watch (after homework and chores, of course!) you can fast-forward through all those pesky commercials.

-Nicole McGovern, editorial intern

While you might not be able to control every snack your little ones eat, you can control the snack’s environmental impact, thanks to TerraCycle.  The company  keeps non-recyclable packaging like cookie wrappers and drink pouches out of landfills by turning them into cool, re-purposed items like kites or backpacks, and has recently partnered with snack giants Frito-Lay and Mars.

The program works when consumers form Chip Bag Brigades to collect used chip bags. They hope to keep more than 5 million bags out of landfills, and what’s more, for each one TerraCycle receives, Frito-Lay will donate two cents to charity. There are currently 1,000 chip bag collection sites, with more in the works.  To learn more about the program, as well as how to start your own Chip Bag Brigade, click here!

-Marygrace, KIWI Staff Writer and recycling enthusiast