Do you remember the E.F. Hutton commercial from the late '70s, early '80s? It had a very memorable catch phrase, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen." A similar phrase could be used to describe the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). When it publishes a book or study on children, a lot of people pay attention.

And so it was with great interest that I learned of a new book this week from the AAP. The book is called About Children and the Academy describes it as a "documentary in print offering a multifaceted portrait of today's children."

AAP goes on to say that About Children "provides the reader with crucial information for the 21st century through an astute look at the most critical aspects of children's lives in the United States." The book discusses 46 child well-being topics and is written by renowned authorities in their field.

Any guesses as to the lead chapter in this significant work?

Chapter One: Childhood Affluenza. Not influenza as in one of those scary flu viruses, but affluenza as in the hyper-consumer "virus" that is overtaking young people in America.

John De Graaf, best-selling author, noted documentary film maker and author of chapter one in About Children, describes childhood affluenza as follows:

• A fever for shopping and spending
• Swollen expectations about material needs
• Decreasing immunity to the assaults of advertisers
• Self-concepts defined by brands of clothing
• A rash of debt by the time they leave college

De Graaf does not mince words as he describes how our society exploits children for financial gain. “Addicting kids to spending is a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry. Marketers continually seek ways to break through the clutter of other ads and make sure kids see theirs,” said De Graaf.

The impact of Childhood Affluenza is significant. One byproduct is the escalating debt problems for young adults. In fact, one study said that young people under the age of 25 are now the fastest growing age group filing for bankruptcy in America. Additionally, college administrators now rank consumer debt as one of the leading causes for students dropping out of school.

While reversing this trend is not going to be easy, it helps enormously that the AAP has taken a stand by featuring the issue in their newest book. For more info, go to aap.org. Search word: About Children.

Here are a few tips to cure childhood affluenza from John De Graaf’s chapter.

1. Turn off the TV or sharply limit children’s viewing. One study found that 90 percent of kids who went without TV for 30 days reported they were happier, got more sleep, spent more time talking with their parents, and did better in school.
2. Help keep advertising out of schools. In communities like Seattle, the school board voted to phase out advertising in all their schools.
3. Let children figure out for themselves what activities they can do to relieve boredom. There is nothing like time to spur on the creative side of the brain. Remember, there was a time when video games occupied none of a child’s day.

Do you recognize the symptoms for childhood affluenza in your home?

If so, think about what steps you can take today to eliminate the "virus." Consider asking your friends and neighbors what they are doing to deal with this issue.

This question is designed to build on the Share-Save-Spend tip for the week and can be used as a springboard for additional conversations with family and friends.

Recognizing that children are often unable to separate facts from commercial appeals, the province of Quebec and several European countries prohibit television advertising to children under the age of 12.

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