Washington – Sex and violence are what many parents fear their children will consume too much of on television. But a new study finds that food is the top product served up to kids and teens on screen.
Released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the study is the largest ever conducted of television food marketing to children and teens.
It finds that “food is the No. 1 product advertised to kids, followed by media such as music, video games and movies,” said Vicky Rideout, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health. Rideout directed the study, which was conducted by Indiana University.
The study found that more than a third of commercials targeting children or adolescents are for candy and snacks – often high-fat, sugary foods that are likely to fuel the ongoing childhood obesity epidemic.
Children 8 to 12 years old watch the most food commercials, averaging 21 ads daily, according to the findings. That adds up to 7,600 per year, or nearly 51 hours annually. Teens 13 to 17 years of age see 17 food ads daily, or more than 6,000 per year, while youngsters 2 to 7 years of age view 12 foods ads per day, or 4,400 yearly.
“The study is really important,” says Margo Wootan, director of nutrition for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group. “It’s the first time in over a decade that anybody has looked at television advertising aimed at children. And it’s the first time ever that anyone has looked at such a huge sample of ads.”
To conduct the study, researchers analyzed more than 1,600 hours of television programming broadcast from late May to mid-July in 2005, with additional sampling in September of that year.
The team examined 30 times more television programming than has been included in previous studies. Unlike previous studies, it also went beyond traditional children’s programming to include viewing times when ratings show children and teens are likely to be watching television.
Half of all the ads shown during children’s shows are for food. Of all the ads in the study, 34 percent marketed candy and snacks, about 29 percent were for cereal and 10 percent promoted fast foods.
By comparison, none of the commercials in the study promoted fruit or vegetables. Only 4 percent advertised dairy products – a rich source of calcium, which most children fall short in consuming, according to the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.
