Children born in the era of mass advertising and excessive food consumption are constantly exposed to unhealthy foods. Mass advertising is one of the factors contributing to the obesity epidemic. Social, environmental and individual factors could further influence rising rates of childhood obesity. Within this article, I will provide a literature review on how television food advertising has played a role in the growth of childhood obesity and then discuss how food advertising on television impacts childhood obesity. I will argue that television viewing and the presence of food advertisements contribute to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity by advertising unhealthy food choices, stimulating increased snacking, and shifting time that could be used for physical activity to television. Numerous studies discuss the increasing rates of childhood obesity. obesity. Recent research states that childhood obesity rates have tripled over the past 30 years (Zimmerman & Bell, 2010). A 2013 study showed that in 2011-2012, 25.3% of children aged 5 to 17 were overweight and obese (Tseng, Haapala, Hodge & Yngve, 2013). Many research experts suggest that obesity rates will continue to rise, which requires further examination of the social factors influencing this increase. The literature suggests that the reason for the increase in childhood obesity is related to the amount of time spent watching television and food. advertisements. Social cognitive theorists believe that food advertising is primitive behavior and is therefore creating cues for society to behave in certain ways without realizing it or intending to behave in that way (Harris, Bargh & Brownell, 2009) . Many television programs... focus of article... health and nutrition examination survey, 2001-2006.International Journal of Pediatric Obesity: IJPO: An Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity,4( 4 ), 353.Tseng, M., Haapala, I., Hodge, A., & Yngve, A. (2013). Childhood obesity. Public Health Nutrition, 16(2), 191. doi:10.1017/S1368980012005332Wiecha, J.L., Peterson, K.E., Ludwig, D.S., Kim, J., Sobol, A., & Gortmaker, S.L. (2006). When children eat what they watch: impact of television viewing on dietary intake in young people. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 160(4), 436-442. doi:10.1001/archpedi.160.4.436Winson, A., Sumner, J., & Koç, M. (2012). Critical Perspectives in Food Studies Zimmerman, F. J., & Bell, J. F. (2010). Associations between type of television content and obesity in children. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 334-340. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.155119