Advertising to Children

Quebec Children [1]:

• 2 hours/weekday
• 4 hours/weekend day

Montreal Adolescents [2]: average of 30 hours of screen time per week

• 20 hours of TV time
• 10 hours of computer time

[1] Gilles Pronovost, « Emploi du temps et pratiques culturelles » dans Institut de la statistique Québec, Enquête sociale et de santé auprès des enfants et des adolescents québécois, 1999.

[2] Dr Tracie A. Barnett, 2008.

• The intensity of marketing of foods that have high caloric values and low nutritional values is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an important factor of the obesity epidemic [10].
• Television ads influence food choices [11] and encourage consumption [12].
• Even brief exposure to food advertising would suffice to influence food preferences for preschool aged children [13].
• Children snack 45% more when exposed to food ads [14].

[10] World Health Organization (2003). Diet, Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Diseases, WHO Technical report series 916, section 5.2.4 Strength of evidence, Table 7, 63. Consulted at http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/who_fao_expert_report.pdf

[11] E Hitchings, PJ Moynihan, « The Relationship Between Television Food Advertisements Recalled and Actual Foods Consumed by Children » (1998) 11 Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 511. Also see note 16.

[12] JC Halford, J. Gillespie, V. Brown, E.E. Pontin et T.M. Dovey, « Effect of Television Advertisements for Foods on Food Consumption in Children » (2004) 42(2) Appetite 221. Also see note 16.

[13] DL Borzekowski, et TN Robinson « The 30-Second Effect: An Experiment Revealing the Impact of Television Commercials on Food Preferences of Preschoolers » (2001) 101(1) Journal of the American Dietetic Association 42. Also see note 16.

[14] Jennifer L. Harris et al., Priming Effects of Television Food Advertising on Eating Behavior, Health Psychology, 2009, Vol. 28, No. 4, 404–413. 

• A study that appeared in the journal Psychology & Marketing [15] demonstrated that:
  • Children between 3 and 5 years old have the emerging capacity to use advertising to define which products will be most fun and make them popular, even if they do not yet have the ability to read.
  • They associate, from a young age, a brand, its logo, and their potential utility in their daily life.
  • A brand's popularity and the peer pressure the results from it have an impact on demands made by young children.
  • McDonald’s is recognized by 93% of children surveyed for the purpose of the study.

[15] Cornwell B., McAlister A., Children’s Brand Symbolism Understanding: Links to Theory of Mind and Executive Functioning, Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 27(3): 203–228 (Mars 2010).

• Children's expenses and influence on parents' shopping [16]:
  • Each year, 4 millions Canadian children from 2 to12 years of age spend 1,5 billion dollars of their own pocket money and influence products bought up to 15 billion dollars [17].

[16] Option consommateurs (2008). La publicité destinée aux enfants : identifier la meilleure protection possible. Report presented to the Office of Consumer Affairs of Industry Canada. Consulted at http://www.option-consommateurs.org/documents/principal/fr/File/rapports/pratiques_commerciales/
oc_ic_publicite_enfant_200804.pdf

[17] Institut Vanier (2002) cited in the "Régie du cinéma Mon enfant devant l’écran" (2009), p. 60

• Incessant demands of children to parents and financial stress experienced by them [18]
  • Around age 2, the first real demands to parents about consumer products appear [19].

[18] Option consommateurs (2008). La publicité destinée aux enfants : identifier la meilleure protection possible. Report presented to the Office of Consumer Affairs of Industry Canada. Consulted at http://www.option-consommateurs.org/documents/principal/fr/File/rapports/pratiques_commerciales/
oc_ic_publicite_enfant_200804.pdf

[19] Office de la protection du consommateur. Your Kids and Ads. Consulted at http://www.opc.gouv.qc.ca/Documents/Publications/SujetsConsommation/FinancesAssurances/PubliciteTrompeusePratiques/EnfantsPub/EnfantsPub_En.pdf 

In advertising, children are portrayed as autonomous consumers who know everything, unlike the parents who frequent play the 'bad' role [19].

[16] Option consommateurs (2008). La publicité destinée aux enfants : identifier la meilleure protection possible. Report presented to the Office of Consumer Affairs of Industry Canada. Consulted at http://www.option-consommateurs.org/documents/principal/fr/File/rapports/pratiques_commerciales/
oc_ic_publicite_enfant_200804.pdf