TV ad rules continue to fail children

Which? has renewed its calls for a 9pm watershed for junk food ads as new research* reveals that twelve of the 20 programmes most watched by children under 10 years old are not covered by current rules**.

The findings come just weeks after the Prime Minister acknowledged the need to curb the promotion of ‘inappropriate foods’*** as part of the nation’s efforts to tackle obesity.

Current rules are based on the proportion of children watching a programme rather than the actual number.

This means that adverts promoting unhealthy foods are not allowed during programmes such as The Simpsons, which has a child audience of 163,200, but are allowed during programmes such as The X Factor, which has nearly three times the child audience at 442,300.

Which? analysis of adverts during the programmes with the most child viewers revealed that products such as Mars Planets, Kinder Bueno, Milky Way, Smarties and Twix are being advertised at these times.

In January 2008 the current rules will be extended to programmes with a high proportion of viewers under the age of 16. If those rules applied today, just two of the top 20 programmes would be covered.

Which? food campaigner Miranda Watson says:

“This research shows that unhealthy foods are being advertised during the programmes with the highest number of child viewers, such as The X-Factor. The only way to shield children from TV ads for unhealthy foods is a9pmwatershed.

“There is no silver bullet in the fight against obesity but tougher restrictions on the way unhealthy foods are marketed to children will play an important role in helping parents to instil healthy eating habits in their children."

Notes to Editor

*Which? looked at the TV viewing figures for ITV 1, Channel 4 and 5 from 1-14 September 2007 to reveal which programmes children under 10 and children under 16 were watching in the largest numbers. Researchers from the British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group at Oxford University then analysed the foods advertised during these programmes using the Food Standards Agency’s Nutrient Profiling Model. Foods that are ‘less healthy’ as defined by the Nutrient Profiling Model cannot be advertised during programmes ‘of appeal’ to children.

**Current TV broadcast restrictions developed by Ofcom:

• Since 1 April 2007, advertisements for foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) have not been permitted in or around programmes made for children (including pre-school children), or in or around programmes that are likely to be of particular appeal to children aged 4-9.
• From 1 January 2008, HFSS advertisements will not be permitted in or around programmes made for children (including pre-school children), or in or around programmes that are likely to be of particular appeal to children aged 4-15.

***Prime Minister’s Questions, Wednesday 17 October 2007.

Examples of advertisements shown during the programmes with the highest number of viewers under 10. (1-14 September 2007) Programmes in bold are covered by current restrictions.