Junk Food Commercials Are Aimed at Parents, Study Says

By Samantha Neudorf November 17, 2015

While children are watching cartoons and other kids’ programming on TV, parents are being unknowingly targeted to purchase unhealthy foods and drinks for their families, according to a new study. The American Academy of Pediatrics published the study, called “Children’s Food and Beverage Promotion on Television to Parents,” in its November 2015 issue.

The study’s authors found that over the course of a year, 25 to 51 percent of food products advertised on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and other children’s television channels featured scenes of parents and families hugging and kissing children. Children-targeted commercials usually feature humorous animations, a product’s mascot, and fun, product tastings.

"It is a dual-pronged approach where food manufacturers are targeting kids to pester (their parents) for these products,” Jennifer A. Emond, epidemiology instructor at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine and lead author of the study, told CNN, “and then manufacturers are marketing to parents to get them to think these products are healthy and not to feel guilty about buying them.”

One of the commercials aimed at parents highlighted a romantic relationship—in the name of advertising a chocolate candy. The study also noted that over the year, the largest number of parent-targeted commercials were for sugary fruit drinks and chocolate milk. The sugary drink commercials tried to promote healthy and nutritional living.

The study’s authors expressed concern in their findings because parents may misinterpret the nutrition and health claims from large food companies.