Smart Health Choices: Ads, Labels, Medicines and Trusted Help

You use health products even when you feel well. You also get help from people trained to care for you.

A thing or a service?

A health product is a thing for caring for your body. Soap, toothpaste, bandages, sunscreen, and bike helmets are examples. You can hold each one.

A health service is care that a trained person gives. Think about a visit to a dentist. The toothbrush you bring home is a product. Checking and cleaning your teeth is a service.

Some products and services help prevent problems. A helmet helps protect your head before a fall happens. A checkup can find a small problem early. You do not have to feel sick to need health care.

You are a consumer

A consumer buys or uses products and services. You are a consumer when you use soap. You still count when someone else pays for it.

Imagine you visit a clinic with your caregiver. A nurse checks your temperature using a thermometer. First, find the thing: the thermometer is the product. Next, find the care: the nurse checking you is the service. You use both during one visit.

Choose with help

Companies sell health products to earn money. Some products are useful. Others promise more than they can do. A product made for an adult may be wrong for a child.

Before choosing, you and an adult can check these things:

• Does the label explain what is inside?
• Does it say how to use the product?
• Is the product made for someone your age?
• Can its promises be checked?
• Would a doctor or pharmacist say it fits your needs?

A healthy-sounding name is only a starting point. A box called “Super Health Bites” still needs checking. Its name tells you what the company wants you to think. The label and a health helper can tell you more about the product itself.

An ad is a message meant to make you buy, try, or like something. “Ad” is short for “advertisement.” Ads in videos, on TV, or on the radio are often called commercials.

Find the selling message

Ads can appear inside things you enjoy. You might see one during a game, beside a video, or on a bus. A package or store display can sell to you too.

Ask, “Is someone trying to sell me something?” Look for clues such as a price, a repeated product name, or “Buy now.” The words “Ad” and “Sponsored” are useful clues too. Sponsored means a company helped pay for the message.

Picture a game that pauses for a toothbrush video. The brand name fills the screen. A voice says, “Ask for yours today!” The video is selling a toothbrush, even though it appeared inside a game.

See the company's side

The company usually pays for the ad and chooses its message. It shows the parts that make the product sound good. It may leave out the price or who should avoid it.

An ad can contain true information. Soap really can clean your hands. But a soap ad may spend more time showing happy friends. Its main job is to make you want the soap. Seeing it on a screen does not make every promise true.

A need or a want?

A need helps keep you healthy and safe. A want is something you would like to have. An ad can make a want feel urgent.

The flashing handle may be fun. It does not turn brushing into a different health need. You and an adult can decide whether the extra feature is worth choosing.

Some messages encourage a healthy action without selling a brand. A poster might remind you to wash your hands. This is a public service announcement. Ask the same useful questions: “Who made this?” and “What do they want me to do?” Those questions help you understand a message's purpose.

A song can stay in your head after an ad ends. A famous player can make a drink seem special. These are ways to persuade you: to change what you think or do.

Name the technique

An advertising technique is a way to make a selling message work. Different techniques pull your attention in different ways.

A slogan is a short saying made to be remembered. Repeating it helps a brand name stick. The bandwagon makes you worry about being left out. A company cannot know that everybody has its product.

A famous person may be paid to appear. Playing a sport well does not make someone a medicine expert. Happy people in an ad also cannot show that a product will give you friends or win a game.

“Best” needs a question: “Best at what?” A chart needs checking too. A white coat can be a costume, and a picture alone cannot tell you how a product works.

Work through one ad

Imagine this message: “Skater Jo Vale loves Flash Vitamins. Join the winners! Order today for a free wristband!”

Use four questions:

1. What is being sold? Flash Vitamins.
2. Who wants me to buy? The company selling them.
3. Which techniques appear? A famous face, bandwagon words, and hurry with a prize.
4. What is missing? Whether you need vitamins, what is inside, and who they are for.

The wristband may be free only after a purchase. It says nothing about whether the vitamins fit your needs. Jo's skating skill comes from practice, not from appearing in an ad.

Give yourself time

Knowing a technique does not stop every wanting feeling. Ads can work on adults too. When “I need it now!” pops into your head, pause. You can like the song and still ask a trusted adult to check the product.

A cartoon on a box can make you smile. A toy inside can make you reach for it. Companies choose these things because they know what children notice.

Look beyond the character

Characters, stickers, and prizes can make a product stand out. A “collect them all” offer can make you want several boxes. Ask yourself, “Do I want the product, or the prize?” The character cannot know what your body needs.

Stores choose places carefully too. Bright packages may sit where children can see them. Candy near a checkout gives you another chance to want it. A game can show a brand or offer a reward for watching its ad. Playing and selling can happen at the same time.

A person you like can still advertise

An influencer has followers online who notice what they say or do. Some influencers are children. An unboxing video shows someone opening a product. The excitement can make you want one yourself.

Companies may pay the person or give them free products. A video can feel like friendly advice and still be advertising.

In the United States, influencers must clearly tell viewers about a paid or gifted brand connection when promoting a product. Look for words such as “Ad,” “Sponsored,” or “Paid partnership.” Some people leave the notice out. You still need to check a product when you see no notice.

Follow the clues

Suppose Ezra opens a brush kit online. Ezra says, “The company sent me this kit. This is an ad. You need one too!”

First, notice the gift: the company sent the kit. Next, notice the clear ad statement. Then separate Ezra's excitement from your choice. You do not know whether the brush fits your age or needs yet.

You can enjoy Ezra's videos while thinking carefully about that message. Liking someone does not turn them into a health expert.

Notice the asking feeling

Ads for children may hope you will ask an adult repeatedly. When that strong wanting feeling starts, name what happened: “The prize made me want the box.” Tell your adult what caught your eye. That gives you a chance to check the product together.

A package keeps its contents safe. Its front also tries to catch your eye. Big pictures and words can make a food sound better than its label shows.

Check what the words mean

A claim says something about a product. “Made with real fruit” is a claim. A fact is something you can check and show is true. “Tastes wonderful” is an opinion: people may disagree about the taste.

Claims can be true and still leave out useful details. “Made with real fruit” does not tell you how much fruit. A strawberry picture does not tell you what is inside. Find the ingredient list and the Nutrition Facts box.

Follow four steps

1. Read the claim.
2. Ask what it actually tells you.
3. Turn the package and find the details.
4. Decide with an adult when you need help.

Try a fruit snack labeled “Made with real fruit.” Its list reads, “Corn syrup, sugar, apple puree, gelatin, natural flavor.” There is fruit: apple puree. But corn syrup and sugar each come before it. Each weighs more than the puree. The front tells one true part while leaving out the larger sweeteners.

Healthy-sounding words

The US food agency is called the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. It has no formal definition for “natural” on food labels. It does have a policy about artificial and synthetic ingredients. The word does not tell you whether a food has a health benefit. Honey can be natural and still add sugar to a food.

Some sugar claims have specific US rules:

These are not the same claim. Plain apple juice can have no added sugar and still contain sugar from apples. Find “Total Sugars” on its label to see the amount.

A product may also advertise a vitamin. That tells you about that vitamin, not everything else inside. Check the sugar information too. Give the small print time: the biggest words on a package are chosen to sell it.

The ingredient list names what a food is made from. Look for “Ingredients” on the back or side. The order can tell you something useful before you read any numbers.

Read from most to least

Ingredients are listed by weight, from most to least. Read this list: “Whole grain oats, sugar, rice flour, salt.” Oats weigh more than each other ingredient. Salt weighs the least. Sugar weighs more than rice flour.

The list does not give the number of grams. It also does not say the first ingredient weighs more than all the others together. To find grams of sugar, use the Nutrition Facts label.

Find sugar's other names

Honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, molasses, dextrose, sucrose, and fruit juice concentrate can add sugar. “Syrup” is a useful clue. Many sugar names also end in “-ose.”

Imagine a list that reads, “Oats, corn syrup, honey, sugar, salt.” Oats comes first, but there are three sweeteners. Each one weighs less than the oats. Together, they could weigh more. You cannot settle that question from the order alone.

A long name does not mean an ingredient is harmful. Ascorbic acid is another name for vitamin C. Ask an adult about unfamiliar words instead of judging them by length.

Read for allergies

An allergy can make a person's body react to something in food. If you have a food allergy, check with your adult every time. A product's recipe can change.

US labels must clearly name these nine major food allergens:

• Milk and eggs.
• Fish and crustacean shellfish, such as shrimp and crab.
• Tree nuts and peanuts.
• Wheat, soybeans, and sesame.

An allergen is something that can cause an allergic reaction. A label may say “Contains: milk, wheat.” That is useful information for someone avoiding those foods. The nine-item list does not cover every possible allergy. Clams and oysters are not included as major allergens under this US rule.

Other products have ingredient lists too. Shampoo, lotion, and toothpaste may contain something that bothers your skin. You and an adult can read those lists together. The name and order give clues; your own allergies and needs still matter.

The Nutrition Facts box on most US packaged foods tells you about the food. Start at the top. The serving size tells you how much food the numbers describe.

Find the amount first

A serving size might be “30 g” or “1 cup.” It helps you read the label. It is not a rule for how much you must eat. “Servings per container” tells you how many servings the package holds.

Most nutrient numbers describe one serving. Some labels also show a whole-package column. Check the column heading before using a number.

A trail mix bag holds 3 servings. Each serving has 5 g of added sugars. If someone eats the whole bag, count all three servings:

That is 15 g of added sugars, not 5 g.

Total and added sugars

Total Sugars includes all the sugar in a serving. Includes Added Sugars tells you the part added when the food was made. That part is already inside the total.

A yogurt has 14 g Total Sugars, including 6 g Added Sugars. To find the sugar from its milk and fruit, subtract:

It has 8 g of naturally present sugar. Adding 14 and 6 would count the added sugar twice. And “0 g Added Sugars” does not mean “0 g Total Sugars.”

Compare like amounts

Use the same serving size when comparing foods. For equal cereal servings, imagine these labels:

Cereal A has 8 g more added sugars per serving. On added sugar, Cereal B is the better everyday choice. Other label details can matter too. Two servings of Cereal A have 20 g of added sugars.

To picture sugar, about 4 g is about 1 teaspoon. So 12 g is about 3 teaspoons.

What does the percent mean?

Percent Daily Value, written “% Daily Value,” compares a serving with a daily reference amount. For a quick check, 5% or less is low. At 20% or more, it is high.

The US added-sugars reference is 50 g for a 2,000-calorie diet. It helps compare foods; it is not your own sugar goal. In the cereal example, 10 g gives 20%, while 2 g gives 4%.

Checking added sugar helps protect your teeth and leaves room for foods your growing body needs. You can still enjoy a treat sometimes.

A date is one clue about a food. How the food was stored matters too. Other product labels tell you how to use things safely.

What do US food dates mean?

Most US food dates are about quality. Baby formula is different: it must be used by its date. Medicine expiration dates are different too. Do not use medicine after it expires.

Suppose it is March 10 and crackers say “Best if Used By Mar 3.” The date was 7 days ago. The crackers may be stale. Show an adult, who checks and decides what to do.

A date in the future cannot make badly stored food safe. Milk left on a warm counter can spoil early. If food is past its date or looks, smells, or feels wrong, ask an adult before eating. Do not taste it to test it. Some unsafe food gives no clear sign you can notice.

Ask four label questions

Products such as toothpaste and sunscreen have directions and warnings. Read with an adult when words are hard.

1. What is it for? What job does it do?
2. Who is it for? Does the label mention ages?
3. How do I use it? How much, when, and how often?
4. What does it warn about? What should I avoid?

For sunscreen, the job is helping protect skin from the sun. Its label says to ask a doctor for babies under 6 months. It says to put sunscreen on 15 minutes before going outside. Put more on at least every 2 hours. Swimming, sweating, or towel drying can mean you need it sooner; check the directions.

If you put sunscreen on at 10:00 a.m., plan more by noon. The two-hour reminder does not replace the rest of the directions.

Fluoride toothpaste has warnings too. It is for brushing your teeth, not for swallowing. Its warning explains what to do if someone swallows more than is used for brushing. An adult can help you understand that line before you use it.

Medicine helps your body when you are sick or hurt. Some medicine helps prevent illness. It can be useful, but it needs special care.

Many shapes, one safety rule

Medicine can be a pill, liquid, drop, cream, spray, or inhaler. Some medicines come from a store shelf. A doctor orders others. Being easy to buy does not make medicine safe to take by yourself.

The right medicine in the right amount can help. The wrong medicine, or too much, can make you very sick. More will not make you better faster.

Some medicines look like candy. They may be bright, small, chewy, or fruit flavored. The flavor helps people take them. It does not turn them into a snack.

Vitamins and gummy supplements need the same care. Too many can hurt you. “Natural” on a bottle does not make an unknown amount safe.

You cannot tell by looking

Imagine you find red tablets in a bowl. They look like candy you have seen before. A cousin says, “Have one!” You still do not know what they are.

Leave them alone and tell your grown-up. You could say, “There are red tablets on the table. Can you check?” Your adult can find out what they are and put them away safely.

A color or sweet smell cannot answer these questions: What is it? Who is it for? How much is safe? That is why tasting is never a way to check an unknown thing.

Think about younger children

Little children copy what older children do. Do not call medicine candy or use it in pretend games. A younger child could later eat it, expecting a treat.

If you see a little child reaching for medicine, call an adult right away. You do not need to know its name before asking for help. Tell the adult exactly what you saw.

Take medicine only from a trusted adult. That is a grown-up who cares for you, listens, and helps keep you safe.

Your adult does the checking

A parent, guardian, grandparent, or chosen caregiver may give you medicine. Another trusted adult can do this when your family has arranged it. At school, the nurse may be that person.

Your adult checks that the medicine is right for you. They read the label, measure the amount, and keep track of the time. Those jobs work together. The right bottle at the wrong time can still cause harm.

Friends, classmates, and older children should not give you medicine. Someone else's medicine may be wrong for your age or body. The same cough or headache does not mean you need the same treatment. Never share medicine. A bottle with a person's name belongs to that person's care.

When you feel sick

Tell your adult what you feel and where it hurts. You can say, “My stomach hurts here. It started after lunch.” You do not need to find a medicine first.

At school, start with your teacher. They know whether to send you to the school nurse or office. Some schools do not have a nurse there all day. The adults in charge still arrange your care.

Imagine you feel sick during art class. A friend offers a tablet from their bag. Say, “No thanks. I need to tell my teacher.” Then tell the teacher how you feel. Your friend's wish to help does not make sharing safe.

Your own health plan

Some children carry their own inhaler or another medicine. Their doctor, family, and school make a plan together. Follow your own agreed plan. That is different from choosing medicine by yourself or borrowing from a friend.

Do not keep medicine in your backpack unless your family and school arranged it. If you are unsure, ask your caregiver before bringing it.

Speak up about changes

Tell an adult right away if you feel itchy, dizzy, or sick after medicine. Say what changed and when. In the United States, trouble breathing means calling 911 or getting an adult to call immediately. Speaking up helps the adult get you the right care.

You can learn a lot by reading a medicine label with your adult. The adult checks and gives the medicine. Your job is to read along and ask questions.

Find the US Drug Facts headings

Medicines sold without a doctor's order have a Drug Facts label in the United States. The headings help you find the same kinds of information on different boxes.

A side effect is another effect medicine can have, such as sleepiness. Warnings can explain these effects. Inactive ingredients still matter for someone with an allergy.

Ask five questions together: “What is it for? Is it right for this person's age? How much? How often? What do the warnings say?” The amount may depend on age or weight.

Follow a label example

Imagine a practice label says:

“Children 6 to under 12 years: 10 mL every 6 hours. No more than 4 doses in 24 hours. Children under 6: ask a doctor.”

Milo is 8. His adult finds the age line that includes him. That line says 10 mL. A dose is the amount taken at one time.

If the adult gives a dose at 8:00 a.m., six hours later is 2:00 p.m. That is the earliest next time. Four doses would total 40 mL in 24 hours. The limit does not mean Milo needs all four. His sister is 4, so the adult must ask a doctor about her.

Measure and check again

Liquid medicine is measured in milliliters, written “mL.” Adults use the measuring tool supplied with the medicine, such as an oral syringe. Kitchen spoons vary in size and are unsafe for measuring a dose.

Adults read the label every time. Two different boxes may contain the same active ingredient. Using both could give too much. A pharmacist can help check.

The expiration date, sometimes marked “EXP,” matters too. With “EXP 06/2027,” May 2027 is before expiration and July is after. Do not use expired medicine. Tell your adult so they can arrange safe disposal.

Medicines and cleaners belong out of sight and out of reach. A locked cabinet is best. Adults put them away; your job is to notice problems and tell them.

A safe place is more than a hiding spot

Children can climb or search through bags. A high shelf alone may be reachable. A visitor's purse may hold pills. A bedside bottle may be easy for a little child to find. Vitamins and supplements need safe storage too.

A child-resistant cap makes opening a container harder for children. It cannot stop every child. Adults close the cap properly after each use and return the container to its safe place. Leaving it on a counter “just for a minute” creates a chance for someone to reach it.

Cleaners belong away from food. Adults keep them locked away when possible, or high, out of sight and reach. Laundry packets can look like candy. Blue cleaning liquid can look like a drink. Hand sanitizer is for hands, never for mouths.

Keep the original container

A cleaner must never go into a drink bottle. Someone could mistake it for a drink. The original container has its name, ingredients, and safety information. Those details help experts if something goes wrong.

Imagine you see a soda bottle labeled “Floor cleaner.” It still looks like a drink bottle. Leave it alone and tell your adult what you found. The adult handles the cleaner and removes the misleading bottle safely.

Read the warnings

DANGER, WARNING, and CAUTION tell you a product needs care. Some labels also say POISON. “Keep out of reach of children” means you should not handle it.

Strong cleaners are for adults to use. Never mix cleaning products. Mixing bleach with ammonia can make dangerous gas. When you help with chores, use only what an adult gives you, exactly as they show you.

Be the person who notices

During a safety check with an adult, you spot gummy vitamins on a low table. Point them out. Your adult closes and stores them safely. Next, you notice a guest's medicine bag on the floor. Tell the adult about that too.

Do not climb, open bottles, or move dangerous products yourself. Say, “Can you put this away?” Keeping yourself away from the product helps while your adult fixes the problem.

If someone may have swallowed medicine or cleaner, tell an adult immediately. Tell even when you are unsure. Looking fine at first does not mean waiting is safe.

Choose the right help

A poison can harm your body if it gets in you or on you. Even useful medicine can poison someone if it is wrong for them or they take too much.

In the United States, Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222. Experts answer all day and night. The call is free. They tell you and your adult what to do next. Your family can save the number in a phone.

Call 911 immediately if someone cannot wake up, has trouble breathing, collapses, or has a seizure. A seizure can make someone shake or lose awareness. If no adult is there, you can call yourself. Say where you are and what happened.

Tell what you saw

Imagine you see a toddler beside an open vitamin bottle. The toddler is awake and breathing normally. You do not know whether any gummies were swallowed.

Get your adult now. Say, “The vitamin bottle is open beside the toddler. I don't know if any were eaten.” The adult calls Poison Help and keeps the bottle available. You do not need to count gummies or move the bottle before telling.

Leave treatment to the experts

Do not make someone throw up. Do not give food or drink unless a poison expert or emergency helper says to. Trying a home remedy can cause more harm or delay the right care.

The adult should keep the container for its label information. Experts may ask:

• Who was exposed, and how old are they?
• What product was involved?
• How much might have been swallowed?
• When did it happen, and where are you?

Say “I don't know” when you do not know. Stay on the phone until the helper says to hang up.

Splashes and fumes need help too

For a splash in eyes or on skin, tell an adult at once. The adult rinses with water and calls Poison Help. If there are strong fumes, move to fresh air and get an adult. Do not go back into the fumes to collect a container.

Telling helps even when the mistake was yours. You can say, “I need help. I may have swallowed this.” Getting care matters more than hiding a mistake.

You can ask for help when something hurts or feels wrong. Start by telling your trusted adult. Trained health helpers have different jobs, and they can work together.

Match the helper to the need

A doctor who cares for children is called a pediatrician. Doctors also give checkups when you feel well. You do not need to wait for illness to get care.

A dentist checks for cavities and can fill them. A dental hygienist often cleans teeth. Both help care for your mouth.

A pharmacist works with medicines in a pharmacy. They do more than hand over boxes. You and your adult can ask a pharmacist about a label or two medicines that might contain the same ingredient. You can ask without making an appointment.

Find help at school

If you feel sick at school, tell your teacher. They know where to send you. Some schools share a nurse or use an office helper when a nurse is away. Your teacher can help you reach the right person.

The nurse can check how you feel and contact your family. Medicine at school follows the arrangement made by your family and school.

Choose a first step

Suppose your tooth hurts when you chew. Tell your caregiver so they can arrange dental care. If you feel unwell during reading time, tell your teacher first. If a medicine warning is confusing, you and your adult can ask a pharmacist.

These choices use each person's training. A confusing medicine label does not need to wait until a dental visit.

Tell the whole story

Health helpers need true information. Say where it hurts, when it began, and what you ate or took. If you do not know, say so. A trusted adult usually comes with you and can help explain.

You may ask, “What will happen?” or “Why do I need this?” Questions help you understand your care. A checkup is also a good time to ask about something that has been worrying you.

Health information tells you about your body and how to care for it. Start with a trusted adult or trained health helper. You can look at health websites together too.

Four questions for a page or video

1. Who made it? Look for the person or organization behind it.
2. Why was it made? Is the main purpose teaching or selling?
3. When was it checked? Look for a writing or review date.
4. Does another trusted place agree? Ask your adult to help compare.

Government health agencies, children's hospitals, and groups of doctors are useful starting places. Health experts check their information. An “About” page helps you find who runs a website.

A US address ending in “.gov” points to government. “.edu” is used by colleges and universities. “.org” and “.com” can belong to many kinds of owners. An ending is a clue; keep checking the people, purpose, date, and agreement.

Spot warning signs

“Miracle,” “secret cure,” “works instantly,” and “100% guaranteed” need careful checking. Scary claims beside a “Buy now” button may be trying to push a sale. Many likes or views show popularity, not whether health advice is correct.

Some search results are ads. Look for “Sponsored” before treating the first result as the best information. A confident voice or smart-looking outfit is no replacement for checked health knowledge.

Compare two messages

A drink seller posts, “Our green juice stops every cold. Doctors keep this secret!” A link sells the juice. The seller gives no check date. Your adult cannot find the promise on a trusted health site. The seller, sales purpose, and secret-cure words all give reasons to pause.

Now you find a children's hospital page about stopping germs. It names the hospital and has a review date. It teaches handwashing, sells no product, and agrees with another trusted health page. Those clues give you better reasons to trust it.

Ask about your own body

AI chatbots can give wrong health answers while sounding sure. Check their answers with an adult and a trusted health source. A chatbot cannot replace your health helper.

Even a well-checked page does not know everything about you. Tell your adult about your own symptoms or worries. They can help decide whether you need a health helper.

Before buying or trying something for your body, ask a trusted adult. Do this for pills, vitamins, drinks, creams, diets, and online health tricks. A free sample needs checking too.

Three steps for a choice

Stop. Wait before buying or trying it. A deadline in an ad does not make checking less important.

Think. Ask, “What is it? Is it made for my age? Who says it is good? Are they selling it? Could it hurt me?” Use the package, label, and message to find clues.

Ask. Tell your adult what you saw and why you want it. You can say, “The video says this helps you run faster. Can we check it together?” Your adult can read the label or ask a pharmacist.

Work through the wanting feeling

Imagine you have birthday money. A game ad offers a shake that promises to make you taller. It says, “Everyone drinks it!”

First, leave the offer alone. Next, notice the bandwagon words and the big promise. You do not know whether it is meant for children. Then show the ad to your adult. You can check the product and ask a health helper before spending anything.

Having your own money does not answer whether a product fits your body. A free sample skips the price, but it still goes into or onto you.

Adult products need special care

Children's bodies are still growing. Energy drinks are not for children. Some creams and diet products for adults can harm a child's body. A bright package or friendly person handing out samples cannot tell you otherwise.

Words you can use with friends

If a friend offers a health product, say, “Not until I ask,” or “No thanks. I need to check first.” You can say this calmly without arguing about the product.

If someone keeps pushing, walk away and tell your adult. You do not need to keep explaining your decision. Online challenges involving medicines or cleaners are dangerous too. Do not join in; tell your trusted adult what you saw.

Asking can lead to different answers. Your adult may help you choose something useful, explain why you do not need it, or find another way to help. Tell them what you hoped the product would do so they can understand your question.