WASHINGTON Restaurant chains and other food marketers are under attack for how much television advertising they aim at kids, but the Federal Trade Commission says children actually see fewer ads for food than they did in 1977.
Anew report from the agency shows that children under 12 collectively saw 5,538 ads for food in 2004, the year the study was conducted, which is 9 percent fewer food ads than they saw in 1977, when the FTC did a similar study.
However, half of the food ads aired during children's shows because of the increase in cable TV stations since the last study, the report said. In 1977, food ads made up about 25 percent of the advertising kids saw during children's shows, according to the report.