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Television food advertising targets children

By Darren Boon
Created 23/09/2008 - 15:21

This contribution has been submitted to Webdiary by a student in the Online Journalism unit for the Masters in Media Practice and Masters in Publishing courses at The University of Sydney as part of the unit’s assessment. The topics covered in the pieces awaiting publication are interesting – and diverse. We hope that Webdiarists will enjoy reading them, as well as giving these aspiring journalists plenty of constructive commentary.

Television food advertising targets children
by Darren Boon

There was a time when I had been severely overweight due to my consumption of junk food. Eating junk food seemed normal then under the barrage of junk food ads on television.

Child obesity is hardly surprising nowadays. Half the food ads shown during children’s television timeslots were for “non-core” foods like chocolate and fast food, according to a new study by obesity researchers.

Of the television food ads for “non-core” foods, 54 per cent used cartoon characters and celebrities while 85 per cent used competitions and give-aways.

Researchers from the NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity and the NSW Centre for Public Health Nutrition arrived at the results after a recent study into the extent of children’s exposure to persuasive marketing efforts within television food ads in Australia.

Bridget Kelly, one of the researchers alerts of a hidden danger. “The frequency of the use of these persuasive marketing techniques was highest during the most popular TV programs with children.” The study, the first of its kind, examines the use of cartoon characters and celebrities, competitions and give-aways to push products on television.

Kelly reckons that these methods “capture children and adolescents attention, build brand loyalty and ultimately affect children’s desire” for “non-core” foods.

“Food marketing has been linked with affecting children’s food preferences, their food purchases, and ultimately their food consumption,” Kelly said. “There have been five major reviews that have all shown these findings, so we think the evidence is fairly clear that food marketing effects children’s diets and therefore risk of obesity.” Kylie Butler from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and Kelly state that a quarter of Australian children and adolescents are either overweight or obese. Butler highlighted a study from the Better Health Channel which indicates 65 per cent of young Australians are at risk of becoming overweight or obese by 2020.

“Restricting junk food advertising on TV would be a good start – limiting both the volume of ads and the use of persuasive techniques clearly targeted to children,” Lesley King, another researcher said. “Broadcasters could take a social responsibility perspective and seriously limit junk food advertising.”

However, in the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) draft Children’s Televisions Standards 2008, ACMA had indicated no intention in recommending general restrictions for food and beverage television advertising during children’s viewing times. ACMA had concluded that there was no sufficient consensus on the impact of the banning of junk food advertising on obesity levels.

Kelly disagrees. “I feel that ACMA has side stepped the issue of food marketing to children. The level of evidence required to indicate a causal relationship between advertising and obesity is unlikely to be available,” Kelly said. “We need to consider on the precautionary principle and act on the reasonable evidence available that advertising affects children’s diets and weight.” Kelly will submit the research to ACMA. She hopes that the research will “encourage a move towards advertising restrictions during children’s peak viewing times”.

The study was conducted over two one-week periods in May 2006 and 2007. 25.5 per cent out of a total of 20,201 advertisements were for food with “non-core” foods accounting for half the food ads. Companies included Cadburys, McDonalds, KFC, Dominos, and Pizza Hut.


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