A new report has found that children associate junk food with having a good time.
The study done by Cancer Research UK found that children felt hungry after watching TV ads for unhealthy foods.
Four primary schools in England and two in Scotland were surveyed with 137 children between the ages of eight and 12 years old.
In small groups, children were shown two adverts for unhealthy foods and were asked to discuss them and their eating habits in general.
Current legislation say unhealthy foods cannot be promoted during children’s TV shows however the report exposes what researchers called “a loophole in the current legislation”.
Children admitted that this type of advertising would result in them pestering their parents which can lead to them being allowed junk food.
The children surveyed describes unhealthy food as “addictive” while one student even admitted that an ad for takeaway pizza made him want to “lick the screen”.
Head of the Policy Research Centre for Cancer Prevention at Cancer Research UK, Dr Jyotsna Vohra said:
“It’s worrying to hear that children associate junk food with having a better time and it’s evident from the discussions that advertising can influence how they eat.
“Most kids said that adverts made them feel hungry and in many cases it had a direct effect, with some children more likely to plead, nag or beg their parents after seeing an advert.”
Director of Prevention at Cancer Research UK, Alison Cox said:
“It’s clear the restrictions already in place during children’s TV shows aren’t enough. Children are watching junk food adverts during family programmes where these restrictions don’t apply.
“The rise in children’s obesity is a huge concern and a growing epidemic. There must be no delay in taking action. We know that obese children are around five times more likely to be obese adults, and obese adults are more likely to develop cancer.”
In England, 30% of children between the ages of two and 15 are currently categorised as overweight or obese.
That number stands at 31% in Scotland with 34% of Welsh children falling into that category.
These figures have led to charities like Cancer Research UK calling for a ban on advertising for unhealthy foods on TV before the 9pm watershed.
