January 18, 2018

Teenagers who watch more than three hours of commercial TV a day are more likely to eat hundreds of extra junk food snacks, according to a report by Cancer Research UK.

Being bombarded by TV ads for unhealthy, high calorie food could lead teens to eat more than 500 extra snacks like potato chips, cookies and soda throughout the course of a single year compared to those who watch less TV.

The report, based on a YouGov survey, questioned 3,348 UK kids between the ages of 11-19 on their TV viewing habits and diet. When teens watched TV without commercials, researchers found no link between screen time and likelihood of eating more junk food. This suggests that the commercials may be driving kids to snack on more unhealthy food.

The report is also the biggest ever UK study to assess the association of TV streaming on diet. It found that teens who said they regularly streamed TV shows with ads were more than twice as likely (139%) to drink soda compared to someone with low ad exposure from streaming TV, and 65% more likely to eat more pre-packaged meals than those who streamed less TV.

Regularly eating high calorie food and drink - which usually has higher levels of fat and sugar- increases the risk of becoming overweight or obese.

Learn more about the study and results at Cancer Research UK

Photo: alenkasm