September 28, 2006 -- FCC Joins Task Force Looking for Link between TV and Obesity

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announced yesterday that it will join a coalition of representatives of the food, television, and advertising industries, together with consumer groups and health experts, to address the question of whether television ads viewed by children are related to overweight and obesity. What we know, said FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, is that “while the amount of television viewed by American kids has been increasing in the past twenty-five years, so have their waistlines.” Martin noted that research shows children under 6 cannot distinguish between program content and advertising, and children under 10 do not have the cognitive ability to understand a commercial’s persuasive intent. He also pointed out that “children’s advertising is big business,” with fast food companies alone spending $3 billion a year targeting kids. The FCC said after the task force completes its review, the agency will summarize what has been learned will “encourage” best practices for industry and continued education for parents.