On December 6, 2016, a bill to ban advertisements during TV programs intended for children was passed in the Senate. An important measure since, as underlined by a recent study conducted by the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth (in the United States), children are particularly sensitive to advertising messages in favor of fast food …
The American researchers (whose work was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the equivalent of our Department of Health) worked with a group of 548 parents whose children were on average 4.4 years old – the children no. were not in school. Parents had to assess the time their child spent in front of the screen, his consumption of fast food and the channels watched.
No television before the age of 3!
Results ? Scientists have found a link between time spent in front of television and fast food consumption: for example, “moderate to heavy” exposure increased the risk of eating fast food during the week by 30%. Scientists also note that McDonald’s is the brand most frequently cited by parents (and 79% of children surveyed knew it): this company also represents ¾ of advertisements in the “fast food” category broadcast on television.
“Before the age of 6, children do not have sufficient discernment skills to distinguish between a TV program and an advertisement: thus, they are particularly vulnerable to commercials, explain the researchers, whose work has been published in the specialist journal Public Health Nutrition. Moreover, it is during this period that eating habits take hold. Parents must therefore be vigilant. “
As a reminder, most child psychiatrists recommend not to put a child in front of a screen before the age of 3. Between 3 and 6 years, television is tolerated, but not more than 60 minutes per day and always under the supervision of an adult …
To read :
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