Kids See Scads of TV Ads for Unhealthy Foods

Have your kids been hankering for Cocoa Krispies in the food store aisles lately? This may be why: A new Kaiser Family Foundation study found that half of all commercials on children's TV shows are about food, and 72 percent of them are for candy, snacks, sugary cereals, and, you guessed it, fast food.

The study, conducted at Indiana University with the nonprofit group that studies health care issues, comes as food companies are responding to an outcry that heavy advertising of unhealthy foods is adding to children's obesity in the United States.

The New York Times reports that 'tweens, children ages 8 to 12, see more food ads than younger or older children because their viewing habits take in young kid shows as well as reality shows and sitcoms. On average, they see 21 TV ads for food products every day. Wow.

Still, I'm not sure if my tween is such a major sugar lover because she sees these ads or because of her dad's affinity for and willingness to buy Pop-Tarts. But the study sure does bolster the argument for recording as many shows as possible and blowing through the commercials. (Though you still see the product images as you fast-forward through ads.)

Do these findings come as a surprise? And do you think food ads have an effect on the foods you buy and your kids eat?