To think the disposable plastic tat that comes with kids magazines is unethical?

[Tippletopple]

There seems to have been a sea-change in our perception of plasic recently - particularly after that episode of Blue Planet.

There's greater awareness of the need to be sustainable. To recycle plastic and not be wasteful. We're seeing corporations picking up on this...

And yet...

Kids magazines (including CBeebies, of all brands) continue to pack their many magazines with lots of cheap plastic toys that ineveitably break and end up in the bin a few days later. It was an annoyance before, but now its beginning to feel deeply unethical. I'd boycott them by not buying them, but since they're all pretty much the same it'd mean no magazines for the kids full stop!

Well... maybe I could get away with the Lego ones. Those do get reused in the big Lego box.

But the point still stands! And for something like Andy's Adventures magazine - which kind-of taps into an eco theme with all the animals - the dissonance feels particularly strong.

Just don't buy magazines problem solved. They are outrageously expensive anyway

Magazines themselves are a huge, unethical waste. Even before you take into account the one time use plastic rubbish they add as 'gifts'. My DC love them but I just can't bring myself to get them

They are unethical. Magazines for children never used to contain all these things. It's unnecessary.

I don't mind forking out for the odd one now and then - some can be quite educational. Plus I've got nostalgic memories of reading comics at their age.

But that was it - comics in those days you got for the comic. There was no big pile of plastic attached.

I was happy to dismiss such thoughts as typical "in my day..." moanings, but with more awareness about the environment now I'm beginning to think it really isn't on...

Just don't buy them, they are massively expensive for what you get. Buy a book instead - you could get 4 or 5 books from a charity shop for the price of one magazine.

I don’t buy them for DS. I don’t buy Kinder eggs for the same reason.
He gets other treats/books but he knows I won’t buy plastic crap any more.

Yes, so we have now Subscribed to the Phoenix

I agree. The plastic tat really puts me off buying them. It's such a waste and apart from the atrocious effect on the environment I feel it distracts the children from the actual content of the magazine itself. I very rarely buy them for the kids now because it's hard to find one for their age without the plastic stuff.

YANBU

Kids lost the magic of toys in cereal boxes years ago, please don’t campaign for the magazines too!

There's a great selection of independent kids magazines here:

The Phoenix comes with no tat or advertising.

thephoenixcomic.co.uk/

Totally agree!

I hardly every buy a magazine for my daughter, but she does occasionally ask and she knows that if I get her one, the choice is either Beano, National Geographic Kids or Lego. (I know Lego comes with a gift but it's one good quality set which she adds to her collection.)

Our kids are growing up in a world where they are a million times more aware about environmental issues than we were. Learning about the problems with plastic but then seeing magazines covered in 'free' plastic crap sends them very mixed messages.

Bil was saying he doesn't buy kids mags for this reason. We don't cos of the ridiculous price but I HATE that we don't, every second Thursday when I was a kid my mum would buy me bunty or mandy and judy or the beano. I think they're great, especially for kids who don't gravitate towards books. They could give the odd pack of character cards instead of a billion bits of plastic, totally agree with you

My dsis still has the single Adam Ant-inspired skull and crossbones earring off the front of Look-In, circa 1983. I had various plastic purses and bead necklaces from Twinkle magazine around the same time.

Having said that, DS only gets Playmobil or Lego magazines once/twice a year when we go in holiday (long car drives). No kinder eggs, no MacDonalds or bk, no €1 plastic eggs from toy machines. He feels very hard done by, but I refuse to buy such shit.

Cbeebies do an art one that my girls love. You get all the craft bits to create 3 or 4 things and it tells you how in the mag. Theres also loads to do in the mag and stickers and things.

I dont buy the ones with plastic toys in for the same reason I dont buy kinder eggs. Because the toy is looked at thrown somewhere and I'm most likely going to step on it bare foot in the dark!

We also need to stop handing out party bags with plastic tat in them.

We need to go back to living like we did as kids - good quality presents on occasions only and a minimum of junk.

@hannah1992: Hahaha!! Yep, can relate to that all too well...

I don't think there is a huge demand for the magazines overpriced eye candy I refuse to buy
A party bags are fine a little whistle, deck of cards.
The real culprit is McDonald's it is not the toy the DC really want, I like it when they do a book, the amount of plastic used for the happy meals, yes it is a good move getting rid of the straws but the plastic gift tat needs to go.
The amount of McDonald's toys end up in landfill is crazy.

It’s the sheer amount of plastic wrapping as well as tat. Even a tiny roll of stickers comes in a plastic case. I don’t mind plastic toys but it’s the fact they break within a week that is so painful.