New media,
same old tricks – junk food websites are getting kids
hooked
New report finds junk food companies still enticing children
online
Own-brand website promotions
question industry commitments to reducing junk food marketing
Small print warnings
and ‘Hey Kids. This is advertising!’ - a poor
attempt to meet parents’ concerns.
Multinational food
and soft drink companies are using their own websites to promote
unhealthy foods to children potentially as young as four,
so says Consumers International (CI).
In the face of global
criticism about traditional junk food advertising to kids,
household names such as Kellogg’s, KFC, McDonald’s,
and Nestlé are attracting children online with Internet
clubs, interactive games, and MySpace-style sites. Parents
are also targeted with reassuring messages about the educational
value of online games, web safety information and promotional
coupons.
Companies have paid
lip service to their stated commitments to restrict marketing
to children by including friendly warnings on some of their
child-focused sites. McDonald’s, for instance, uses
the term ‘Hey Kids. This is advertising!’ on some
of its games pages. Others such as Mars and Kellogg’s
have small print warnings.
The findings are published
in a new CI report, New Media, Same Old Tricks, released for
World Consumer Rights Day, 15 March. The study looked at the
national and international websites of the top 10 food and
drink companies by advertising spend to assess the methods
used to promote unhealthy food and drink to children under
16. The key findings include:
Companies are using
their own websites to market junk food
Site design that clearly appeals to under 12s
Free branded screensavers
and wallpapers of popular characters and celebrities
Branded games, competitions
and profile avatars
Capturing of kids details
through registration for online clubs
Examples include:
McDonald’s mcworld.com
allows children as young as four to register for free games
and promotions.
Registration on pepsi.com
requests detailed information about children’s soft-drink
intake and other hobbies
A nesquik.com ‘Kids
section’ of branded games and downloads
Nestlé’s
milkybar.co.uk encourages parents to play its online games
with their children
On 15 March, World
Consumer Rights Day, consumer groups will be taking action
as part of CI’s campaign against the marketing of junk
food to children. CI has proposed an International code on
the marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages to children
to the World Health Organization as part of the WHO public
consultation, to commence later this month. CI’s recommendations
for an international code target the marketing of foods that
are high in fat, sugar and salt to children up to 16 years
old. Its demands include:
A ban on radio or
TV adverts promoting unhealthy food between 06.00 and 21.00.
No marketing of unhealthy
food to children using new media (such as websites, social
networking sites and text messaging).
No promotion of unhealthy
food in schools.
No inclusion of free
gifts, toys or collectible items, which appeal to children
to promote unhealthy foods.
No use of celebrities,
cartoon characters, competitions or free gifts to market unhealthy
food.
Justin Macmullan, Head of Campaigns at Consumers International,
said:
“In many countries
kids already spend more time on the internet than watching
TV. That’s why it’s vital we have mandatory regulations
that restrict junk food companies from using new media to
perform the same old marketing tricks on our children. ” |
