Despite promising to reduce food and beverage commercials during children’s programming, these ads are still prevalent.
A recent study from the University of Illinois Chicago, published in JAMA Network Open, revealed that while food and beverage companies have come a long way in reducing the number of unhealthy food and beverage advertisements active during children’s television shows, viewers under 12 years old are still exposed to a large number of unhealthy commercials each year. The findings reveal that despite industry pledges and regulations, children continue to see over 1,000 food and drink commercials each year, with most of these promoting unhealthy products.
Back in 2006, several major food, beverage, and restaurant companies made a commitment to stop advertising unhealthy products during children’s shows. This promise, initially defined by targeting shows with at least 35% of viewers under the age of 12, has gone through many revisions over the years. Notably, in the six-year span between 2014 and 2020, stricter nutritional criteria were introduced to determine which products should not be marketed to children. The goal was to limit children’s exposure to unhealthy products high in saturated fats, trans fats, sugars, and sodium in order to combat growing rates of obesity.
Researchers took a look at television ratings and advertising data from The Nielsen Company spanning from 2013 to 2022. Their findings show that food and drink ads during children’s programming have dropped by more than 95%. Yet despite this drop, 60% of the remaining ads still promoted unhealthy food and beverages. This shows that the regulation of ads during specific children’s shows has had a limited effect on the larger issue, as children are increasingly exposed to unhealthy product advertisements during general programming.
Lisa Powell, professor and director of health policy and administration at the UIC School of Public Health, said, “Kids are still seeing about a thousand ads per year on other programs, and the majority of ads that kids see are still for unhealthy products. This is important as the World Health Organization has recognized that reducing children’s exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertisements is a key strategy for improving both children’s diets and health.”
The estimated 90% of children’s exposure to food and drink ads now comes from general programming that does not specifically target a young audience. The researchers suggest that broader regulations limiting unhealthy food and drink advertisements during times when children are likely to be watching television could be more effective than limiting ad restrictions only during specific shows.
The study also identified a concerning racial disparity in children’s exposure to food and beverage ads. While the number of these ads declined for both Black and white children between 2013 and 2022, Black children were exposed to significantly more ads, in general. This difference is partly due to Black children spending more time watching television than their white counterparts.
As television consumption continues to decline, Powell and her team are shifting their focus to other media platforms. She said, “We know that the media kids consume is changing. They’re spending more time on their mobile devices, whether it be a tablet or a phone, and they’re seeing a lot of ads.”
As children increasingly shift their media consumption to mobile devices and digital platforms, it is important to stay aware and continue efforts to reduce their exposure to unhealthy advertising across all forms of media.
Sources:
Study: Kids still exposed to unhealthy food ads despite regulations
Trends in Children’s Exposure to Food and Beverage Advertising on Television
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