Junk food advertisers’ sneaky ‘free for all’ on children’s social media
IRISH children are being bombarded with ‘a free for all’ of online junk food adverts, a leading health advocacy group has warned.
The Irish Heart Foundation criticised the voluntary code launched last year to reduce online marketing of foods high in salt, sugar and fat to children which it said ‘remains entirely unenforced’.
Yesterday morning, concerned parents from the Irish Heart Foundation’s Stop Targeting Kids campaign delivered a file of complaints against specific unhealthy food and drink adverts to the Department of Health.
The group said that while there is a partial ban on TV and radio junk food advertising that targets children, there was a ‘free for all on digital media’ where the ads are personalised and capable of greater damage.
Ireland’s voluntary code encour- ages companies selling snack food and fast food to not target children.
Companies involved agreed to avoid the advertising of unhealthy foods in a number of areas including cinemas, via competitions, celebrities or characters popular with children.
However, the IHF said that the code represented ‘weak regulation’ and was ‘doomed to failure’ as companies have to opt into the project and there are no penalties for breaches.
It warned that online ‘bombardment’ of children by junk food companies is continuing.
Chris Macey, the IHF’s head of advocacy, said that online junk food advertising was offering junk food companies access to children – especially given the prevalence of smart phones.
‘This is largely being carried out behind parents’ backs on children’s smartphones, what marketers call the “brand in the hand”, giving them access to children all day long’, he warned.
He said there was ‘no justification for any kind for junk marketers to have access to children, given that they want them to overconsume ‘and thereby to compromise their health’.
According to the IHF, children are targeted via ads by large companies who have pages with millions of followers online.
Some junk food companies use online ‘cookies’ which allow the targeted ads to follow users from one website to the next.
Similarly unhealthy food companies often offer endorsement deals to ‘influencers’ who are popular with children.
Meanwhile, in video games, characters often wear clothes branded with the logo of unhealthy food companies.
Worryingly, findings from an Irish Life Health annual fitness challenge found that from the age of 15, the number of teens unable to hit minimum fitness levels is rising and some have levels akin to those of 55- to 60-year-olds.
The IHF has previously called for a complete ban on junk food advertising targeting children and said that the existing TV ban on adverts before the 6pm watershed is ineffective.
According to the IHF, children still see more than 1,000 junk food ads a year on television and countless more online.
An IHF survey revealed that 79% of adults believe advertising is a very big or fairly big contributor to childhood obesity, while 71% now want an outright ban on junk food ads and promotion.
Industry group Food Drink Ireland said that it welcomed the voluntary code when it was established and is committed to responsible marketing.
Group director Paul Kelly said that the FDI had formed part of the working group to form the ‘comprehensive code’ and encouraged its members to sign up.
However, while the FDI welcomed the code, health authorities needed to meet with the industry to ‘bring the voluntary codes of practice to life’.
In response, the Department of Health said that work on a monitoring system for the code was being ‘intensified’.
‘This has taken longer than anticipated in determining the most robust monitoring mechanism,’ a spokeswoman said.