Children are being targeted by junk food manufacturers through internet advertising, chatrooms, text messages and "advergames" on websites, an obesity watchdog warned yesterday, calling for global action to protect their health.
Self-regulation by the food industry has failed, according to a report from the UK-based International Obesity Task Force to a conference in Sydney, Australia. "New forms of advertising are increasingly being employed which bypass parental control and target children directly," says the report by Tim Lobstein, coordinator of the taskforce's childhood obesity group.
"These include internet promotion (using interactive games, free downloads, blogs and chatterbots), SMS texting to children's cell phones, product promotions in schools and pre-schools and brand advertising in educational materials."
During three months of 2005 more than 12.2 million children visited commercial websites promoting food and drinks. A survey by the Food Commission that year found that most big food brands had websites and many have sites specifically aimed at children as young as six.
The report says that internet advertising is rapidly expanding, using a range of technologies such as flash-animated games and online chat rooms. One popular form is the "text 2 win" competition, offering children prizes to text the code from a specially-printed pack. Fanta and Cadbury are among the companies that have run successful campaigns.
Viral marketing generated interest among school children for Real Fruit Winders. Kellogg's, the manufacturer, launched an interactive website which included animated icons children could email to their friends. A McDonald's website offered free e-postcards. Pepsi has an online game in which characters race to serve thirsty customers.
At the International Congress on Obesity yesterday, the Global Prevention Alliance - an umbrella organisation representing concerned non-governmental organisations - called on the World Health Organisation and other UN agencies and governments to develop international standards to protect children from the marketing of junk food.
