Kids’ TV shows contain more junk food ads now

Children saw twice as many spots during programming

in 2004 than 1977

Kids watch fewer food television ads than they did in 1977, a federal agency said Friday — but there’s a catch.

A new Federal Trade Commission study found that half of the ads for junk food, sugary cereals and soft drinks are on children’s programs, double the number 30 years ago. That may bolster the view of health experts who say too many TV food ads contribute to a rise in childhood obesity.

According to the report, in 2004, children ages two to 11 saw:

• 25,600 total television ads (18,300 were paid ads. Most of the remaining 7,300 were promotions for other television programming; some were public service announcements.)
• 10,700 minutes of televisions ads
• Ads averaging 25 seconds in length
• 2-1/4 hours of ad-supported television a day, or 16 hours per week (Ad-supported television accounted for only 70 percent of their television viewing.)
• Over 50 percent of the ads between 4 p.m. and midnight and less than 5 percent of the ads during Saturday morning between 8 a.m. and noon.

This from MSNBC.