What’s involved?
SIGN ON TO HELP RESTRICT JUNK FOOD ADVERTISEMENTS
Advertising to children is big business.
Advertising and marketing to children is a multi-million dollar industry. In 2005 McDonalds spent $50-55 million on media advertising to children in Australia. It’s estimated that in the US children aged between 4 – 12 years directly influence $94.9 billion of spending by parents on food and drink purchases. No matter which way you look at it, the decisions that children make about food are having an impact.
With so much money being poured into getting kids attention the questions asks whether or not children understand that it’s only an advertisement. Adults can easily discern what is an advertisement and what isn’t, but for children this is different. This is made harder with the addition of toys and other branded incentives to junk food advertising. As children already know and can identify characters from popular shows they can easily be mistaken for entertainment.
Children’s understanding of advertising:
Up to age 4 years:
Advertisements seen as entertainment
Ages 6 - 7 years:
Believe advertisements provide information
Ages 7 – 8 years:
Cannot distinguish between information and intent to persuade
By ages 10 – 12 years:
Can understand motives and aims of advertising, but most unable to explain sales techniques.
In 2007, the Australian Communications and Media Authority are reviewing the Children's Television Standards, so this is the perfect time to see significant improvements to the regulations in order to ensure the future health of our children.
The Coalition on Food Advertising to Children (CFAC) , which includes many key Australian health and consumer organisations, is calling for a marked reduction in the commercial promotion of foods and beverages to children under 14 years old. The vital first step is to extend the regulations to prohibit all television food and beverage advertising during programs where children make up a significant proportion of the viewing audience. This does not stop the promotion of healthy eating messages to children through non-commercial social marketing.
SIGN ON TO SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN
For more information visit:
The Cancer Council NSW
The Coalition on Food Advertising to Children (CFAC)
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© 2008. First published on actnow.com.au
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