Researchers from the International Association for the Study of Obesity warned that firms are using the internet to push foods with high salt, sugar and fat content
directly to children, with parents often ignorant of what is going on.
Firms such as McDonald's, Kellogg's, Haribo and Nesquik have been criticised over their marketing to children.
Haribo and Nesquik use online games to push their sweets and drinks and Kellogg's was identified for aiming its Krave chocolate breakfast cereal at children not adults.
McDonald's was mentioned for promoting the children’s film Kung Fu Panda 2 on its Happy Meals deal.
Dr Tim Lobstein, the report’s author, said: “Companies can now use new technologies to encourage children to market to each other and by-pass any parental controls.
“'The consequences are very low standards of control and continued exposure of children to powerful inducements to eat a junk food diet.”
Each company has different rules about the age of children it can target and whether controls should cover all areas of marketing, including TV, toys, packaging, company websites and social media.
Dr Lobstein urged governments to create national and international standards to protect children’s health.
Nearly one in 10 six-year-olds in Britain is classified as obese.
The children's food market is worth billions of pounds a year.
A spokesman for The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, which represents food firms, rejected the criticism and said the industry had effectively reduced marketing to children.
taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8607726/Online-games-and-social-media-used-to-target-junk-foods-at-children.html
“'The consequences are very low standards of control and continued exposure of children to powerful inducements to eat a junk food diet.”
Each company has different rules about the age of children it can target and whether controls should cover all areas of marketing, including TV, toys, packaging, company websites and social media.
Dr Lobstein urged governments to create national and international standards to protect children’s health.
Nearly one in 10 six-year-olds in Britain is classified as obese.
The children's food market is worth billions of pounds a year.
A spokesman for The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, which represents food firms, rejected the criticism and said the industry had effectively reduced marketing to children.
taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8607726/Online-games-and-social-media-used-to-target-junk-foods-at-children.html
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