Kids’ Exposure to Junk Food Ads Remains High Despite Fewer Commercials
By Movieguide® Contributor
While kids programs have few commercials for unhealthy foods, children under 12 still see over 1,000 food ads each year — and many of them are for junk food.
A JAMA study that observed data from 2013 to 2022 found that while children now have less exposure to junk food ads, they’re still seeing a lot of ads for foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, total sugars and sodium.
“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,” said Lisa Powell, professor and director of health policy and administration in the UIC School of Public Health. “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.”
Since 2006, many food-related companies have pledged not to advertise unhealthy products on children’s programming. JAMA reports that advertisements declined by 77.6% for children aged 2 to 5 and by 78.5% for those aged 6 to 11. UIC researchers found that through the companies’ self-regulation, food and beverage ads dropped over 95%. But 60% of the remaining ads were still for unhealthy foodstuffs.
Food Ingredients 1st reports that companies are “finding loopholes” in what can be considered unhealthy foods or beverages.
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Kids under 12 saw over 1,000 food ads per year. Nearly 90% of those ads were from kids watching shows with lower child-audience shares. So the researchers concluded that it would be more effective to limit unhealthy ads during hours when kids are likely to watch TV rather than setting restrictions just for kids’ programming.
JAMA also found that black children had more exposure to ads compared to white children, largely because they spent more time watching TV. Now, kids aren’t watching as much TV as they used to, due to platforms like YouTube and social media. So more research is needed.
“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,” Powell said. “We really need to understand where else the food companies target kids and what they’re seeing.”
READ MORE: DANICA MCKELLAR SHARES HEALTH TIPS: ‘KEEP IT CLEAN AND SIMPLE’
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