Are Nestle and Cadbury–among others–marketing unhealthy [sugary, for example] foods to children online? The British Heart Foundation and Children’s Food Campaign are complaining about this type of activity; the Advertising Standards Authority has strict guidelines for TV adverts targeting kids, but these don’t apply in the same way to Internet activity. Here’s a quote from the Children’s Food Campaign:
Companies are shamelessly exploiting gaps in marketing regulations by targeting children online with promotions for junk foods that cannot be advertised during children’s TV.
The companies say no, they’re not targeting young children inappropriately. In fact, the Cadbury’s Furry Tales site, mentioned by critics, will be closed very soon because it doesn’t meet the guidelines of parent company Kraft. The site, which features cute cartoon characters on the main page (see below), requests a year of birth for entry from ‘supervising grownups’.