Is the television your children’s second nanny? If it is then be careful, because TV advertisements could get your kids hooked onto very unhealthy food habits. Childhood obesity is the blight of sedentary modern lifestyles and some tv advertisements endorse the same.
The study, Food for Thought: Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States, combines content analysis of TV ads with detailed data about children’s viewing habits, to provide an estimate of the number and type of TV ads seen by children of various ages.
Type of food advertised:Of all food ads in the study that target children or teens, 34% are for candy and snacks, 28% are for cereal, and 10% are for fast foods. Four percent are for dairy products and 1% for fruit juices. Of the 8,854 ads reviewed in the study, there were none for fruits or vegetables targeting children or teens.
Appeals Employed to Advertise Food: One in five (20%) food ads targeting children or teens include a push to a website, and a similar proportion (19%) include the offer of a premium, such as a game or toy. About one in ten (11%) have a tie-in to a children’s TV or movie character.
A lot many ads confuse kids about food and health. They are not able to differentiate as to which foods are – and which aren’t – going to help them grow up strong and healthy. TV advertising intentionally blurs the lines between diet and nutritional. These unhealthy eating habits that kids pick up stay with them for life resulting in more health problems. So do keep a check on your child’s Tv habits.
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