Category: Research
It might not be surprising to hear that a recent study found sugary drink ads peak in summer and that ads for soft drinks and energy drinks make up a large proportion of that advertising. But did you know that in Australia, between 2016 and 2018, $129.5 million was spent on sugary drink advertising? That expenditure far exceeds the $23 million spent on artificially sweetened drinks or the $14 million […]
Watching just over 4 minutes of junk food advertising on television increases a child’s food consumption by 250 kilojoules. That is what a study combining results of experimental studies from around the world has concluded. The study also found that playing a game with embedded ads for 5 minutes increased consumption by 220 kilojoules. It might not seem like much, but most children will see more than 4 minutes of junk food ads a day as television programmers […]
Toy giveaways are synonymous with kids’ fast food meals. US industry codes say that toys and other giveaways will not be the main feature of any ads. A US study found that in TV ads promoting kids’ fast food meals, the giveaways featured more heavily —in terms of words and visual airtime—than the food itself. This contradicts the industry codes and shows that industry codes have no impact, particularly when their compliance isn’t monitored or enforced. In Australia, the same code on marketing to children […]
New Cancer Council research shows that Australian government-designed criteria works well for identifying unhealthy food that shouldn’t be marketed to children. Now it must be used for government regulation to protect children from junk food marketing. In 2018, the Council of Australian Government Health Council set criteria to determine unhealthy food when assessing food advertising. Our study found these criteria performed […]
Young children see unhealthy food and drink brands on YouTube through kid influencers. These influencers, as young as 3 years old, generate millions of likes while interacting with unhealthy branded items, particularly fast food and confectionery. The results are from a recent study of five of the most viewed channels on YouTube, looking at food […]
Junk food advertising is like wallpaper in our lives and our children’s lives too. Dr Jenny Norman and Associate Professor Bridget Kelly tell us about their studies to show the effect junk food advertising has on our children. Their study looked at how much food primary school children ate after watching TV (that contained advertisements) […]
Children are exposed to up to 2800 junk food ads every year on their way to and from school, according to Cancer Council NSW and University of Wollongong research. The study — published in Public Health Research & Practice — mapped routes to 21 schools across Sydney, collecting data on the types of outdoor ads children are exposed to every […]
Popular Aussie brands have become so familiar to our children that they have their own personality. An Australian study asked children to think about some common brands as a person and talk about what they thought of that ‘person’. Children thought Cadbury would be ‘popular’ and someone that other children would like. Cadbury’s advertising on […]
Junk food advertising on TV is still happening. Although we might think that advertisers have moved on from advertising on television, that’s not the case. In 2009, food companies brought in responsible marketing codes; saying they would not advertise junk food to children. We’ve been checking out TV ads on Sydney television since 2006. Our […]