As many people may have already noticed, child and adolescent obesity has become a larger problem in the United States. Could obesity in children and adolescents be a reflection of parental neglect? Many families don't have time to prepare nutritious meals, leading them to eat out almost more than once a week. Meals cooked at school are also not entirely healthy and many of the choices children make are ignored by parents. In addition, the media have a significant impact on the way children and adolescents eat. When children see advertisements, they either want their parents to get the advertised product or for teenagers to go get it themselves. Many parents think that it is exercise that will keep their children fit and healthy, but instead it is the food that children eat. Some people realize this is a bigger problem and take action. As defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary, negligence is the failure to take precautions that a responsible person usually takes. How could this be due to negligence? Parents don't realize that they are putting the long-term health effects on their children at risk. Most parents don't think about what they feed them because the children are young and health is not the most important factor. The food parents give their children when they are young will affect them in the long run. Obesity among children and adolescents is a reflection of their parents' negligence, even if they do not realize it. Time is an issue for families, whether it's work, school or sports. Sometimes people move from one activity to another right after school. Between activities, there is usually not enough time to get home and prepare a healthy meal, so they resort to fast food. Research by Helen Lawson (2013) showed that only one in six mothers prepare a piece of paper that children are likely to want after seeing it. Obesity is increasing because of the snacks they eat and this shows neglect because parents are not doing anything to help solve the problem, such as forcing children to do something other than watch TV. Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics (2011) stated that snacking also increases when watching television or movies. Although children love movies, they generally prefer popcorn, soda and candy, which have very little nutritional value. The parents allow them to eat popcorn and candy and continue to get full throughout the movie; most people don't think much about it. When a child eats all the popcorn and is full for the rest of the day, it increases the risk of obesity because they will not have a well-balanced meal throughout the day. This demonstrates parental negligence, as they allow children to continue filling the popcorn, even knowing how unhealthy it is..