Children's Exposure To Unhealthy TV Ads Not Reduced Through Self-regulation By Food And Beverage Industry

Turn off the TV. Kids don't have the discretionary income to buy this stuff anyway.

So who does? (answer below)

A study published today in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine revealed that despite children watching fewer advertisements from food and beverage companies, most television ads viewed promote fast-food restaurants or unhealthy food high in saturated fat, sugar or sodium. It has been discovered that there has been a significant increase in TV ads from fast-food restaurants viewed by children.

The new study monitors airings of all food, beverage and restaurant TV advertisements viewed by children before and after the launch of the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) in 2006. Companies associated to the CFBAI, a voluntary initiative, agreed to put a restriction on TV screenings for unhealthy food and beverages aimed at viewer audiences of children aged 11 years and younger. Researchers monitored ads by CFBAI member companies and non-members.

Between 2003 and 2009, children's overall daily average TV airings for food, beverage and restaurant ads was reduced by 18 percent among children aged 2 to 5 and by 7 percent for children aged 6 to 11, however, in 2009 a staggering 86 % of all food and beverage ads still featured unhealthy products classed high in saturated fat, sugar or sodium.

Parents.

BTW, there are no "unhealthy foods."

There is eating unhealthily, though.

Learn to eat healthily.