Global action needed to protect children from junk food ads on the internet

An international conference on obesity in Sydney, Australia, has heard that children are being targeted by junk food manufacturers through internet advertising, chat rooms, text messages and "advergames" on websites.

The UK-based International Obesity Task Force, (IOTF), an obesity watchdog group, says global action is needed to protect childrens health as self-regulation by the food industry has failed.

The organisation says new forms of advertising are increasingly being used which bypass parental control and target children directly.

In a report by Tim Lobstein, coordinator of the taskforce's childhood obesity group, the delegates were told that internet advertising is rapidly expanding and promotion was being done via 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 were also being used.

One example given was the popular "text 2 win" competition, offering children prizes to text the code from a specially-printed pack used by Fanta and Cadbury among other companies.

A survey by the Food Commission in 2005 found that most big food brands had websites and many have sites specifically aimed at children as young as six.

It appears that during three months in 2005 more than 12.2 million children visited commercial websites promoting food and drinks.

The Global Prevention Alliance, a group representing concerned non-governmental organisations has 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.

The IOTF urges that children should be protected from exploitative marketing techniques used on the internet, television and other mediums and has outlined draft principles nations would need apply.

They would require either bans or limitations to TV and newspaper advertising, sponsorship, loyalty schemes, competitions and product placement targeted at children aged 13 or less, and individual governments could decide whether to include only junk foods, all foods or any product being marketed to young people.

The principles which support the rights of the child to have adequate access to safe and nutritious food and substantial protection against commercial exploitation, could mean a committment to commercial-free schools and an agreement on international codes to regulate marketing to children across borders via the internet, and satellite and cable television.

All policies would have to become legal, making any failure to comply illegal says the OTF.

Professor Boyd Swinburn, president of the Australasian Society for the Study of Obesity which developed the principles, said existing restrictions on commercial promotions fall far short of the proposed requirements.

Professor Swinburn of Deakin University, says the food and beverage industry's own codes do no more than echo "weak" statutory regulations, and the last thing they want is to be regulated to reduce sales of the very junk foods to blame for obesity.

The draft principles will be circulated for feedback from the international obesity experts before the IOTF releases its final findings.

The watchdog's policy and public affairs director Neville Rigby has urged obesity experts to take a firm stand on the issue.