Australia’s Leading Experts on Children & Teenagers in one Event

A recent review commissioned by the Home Secretary and published in the UK by Dr Linda Papadopoulos, “Sexualisation of Young People” has put the spotlight on the sexualisation of children and teenagers within our society. It has brought to light growing trends that are both alarming and insidious. The continued de-sensitisation to the sexualisation of our teenagers and their bombardment by the media is making the unacceptable acceptable to both teenagers and adults alike.

Dr Linda Papadopoulos clearly outlines what sexualisation is as quoted by Tolman 2002 “…in the current environment, teen girls are encouraged to look sexy, yet they know little about what it means to be sexual, to have sexual desires and to make rational and responsible decisions about pleasure and risk within intimate relationships that acknowledge their own desires.”

She then defines sexualisation further,  “sexualisation, is the imposition of adult sexuality on to children and young people before they are capable of dealing with it, mentally, emotionally or physically. It does not apply to self-motivated sexual play, nor to the dissemination of age‑appropriate material about sexuality.”

Dr Linda Papadopoulos also says “hyper-sexualisation and objectification of girls on the one hand, and hyper masculinisation of boys on the other, perpetuate and reinforce each other. Throughout the course of the review, what has become very apparent is that sexualisation is a multi-factorial issue and therefore needs to be approached from a range of perspectives, taking into account not only the emotional and cognitive development of children but also the influence of family, culture and society as a whole.”

The review addresses the question posed by McLellan, “How have sex, sexiness and sexualisation gained such favour in recent years as to be the measure by which women’s and girls’ worth is judged?” (McLellan, Sexualised and Trivialized – Making Equality Impossible).

McLellan goes on to say, “While it is not a new phenomenon by any means, there is something different about the way it occurs today and how it impacts on younger and younger girls.”

The report addresses issues such as:

• What is sexualisation and why does it matter?

• Sexualised content and the mainstreaming of pornography:  new technologies, internet, teenage magazines, mobile phones, television, advertising, video games, and music videos

• The impact of sexualisation: body image, mental health, eating disorders, sexual objectification, and gender inequality

• Sexualisation and violence: pornography and sexual aggression, child sexual abuse, child pornography, and

• The role and responsibility of parents, schools and corporate.

Some of the alarming facts that have emerged from this study include:

Television

Violence against women on TV had risen by 120 % since 2004, and

Violence against teenage girls has risen by 400 %.

Music videos and lyrics

75% of videos contain visual presentations of sexual intimacy

56.6% of videos contain violence, and

81% of videos contain both violence and sexual imagery.

New technologies

80 % of young people use the Internet daily

59 % of 8–17-year-olds use social networking sites to make new friends

33 % of parents say they set no rules for their children’s use of social networking sites

43 % of children say their parents set no rules for use of social networking sites.

The widespread use of new technologies now means that most young people have accessed some sort of pornographic image either via the Internet, mobile phone, films or magazines by the time they reach their teenage years.

The mobile phone industry is making millions each year by making pornography available on mobile phones. Most phones now have cameras and the pressure to photograph yourself or others in sexually explicit poses is increasing. These images are then circulated far and wide. What many teenagers do not realise is that once an image is on the net or sent via mobile phone then it is out there for anyone to see and will stay there for many years to come.

Most researchers agree that sexualising children places them at risk. Many of these risks have been magnified by advancements in the media and emerging technology. The sexualisation of our children affects society as a whole. A new generation of children are growing up with diminished values, a generation who are embracing the normalisation of wantonness, pornography and violence without question.

Dr Linda Papadopoulos says “children and young people are not only being exposed to an increasing number of hyper-sexualised images; they are also being sold the idea that girls should look ‘hot’, regardless of their age. As such, they are facing pressures that children in the past simply didn’t have to face.”

She concludes by saying “children’s ability to understand and assimilate information develops over time. Given the proliferation and accessibility of sexualised images, it is almost inevitable that children will come into contact with content they’re not ready to understand. Not only can this be upsetting and disruptive, it can also lead them to make assumptions about what’s appropriate that could lead them into potentially dangerous and damaging situations.”

It is clear that sexualisation is having a negative effect on young people’s physical, mental and emotional health. The most important message that comes out of this review is the dangers of the growing trend towards the ‘normalisation’ and acceptance of both the sexualisation of our children and the connection between this growing trend and the increased acts of violence against woman and children.

Writer, Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Source: Dr Linda Papadopoulos, “Sexualisation of Young People” 2010

To read review “Sexualisation of Young People” in full

Teenagers who use cannabis in their early teens are more likely to experience hallucinations or delusions. This is the findings of a new study conducted by John McGrath, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., of the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), University of Queensland, Australia.

Due to be published in May in the Archives of General Psychiatry, a medical Journal by the American Medical Association, this study details findings into the use of cannabis by young people.

Although Cannabis is illegal, up to 190 million people around the world use it. The United Nations estimates that about 4% of the adult population are cannabis smokers. For many years there has been debate about whether or not cannabis is harmful. It was reinstated to a class B drug in 2009, having been downgraded to a class C in 2004. It remains illegal in Australia and contains many of the same cancer-causing substances as tobacco.

Paul Dillon author of Teenagers, alcohol and drugs and Generation Next seminars speaker says “when we talk about mental health problems and cannabis, we are usually talking about schizophrenia, but in recent times there has also been much more discussion about whether the use of cannabis can lead to other problems, such as depression and anxiety”.

Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the study took nearly 4,000 Australians born between 1981 and 1984. At the age of 21 years they were asked if they had ever used cannabis and were assessed for psychotic episodes.

McGrath found that “compared with those who had never used cannabis, young adults who had six or more years since first use of cannabis (i.e., who commenced use when around 15 years or younger) were twice as likely to develop a non-affective psychosis and were four times as likely to have high scores on the Peters et al Delusions Inventory (a measure of delusion)”. He went on to say “there was a ‘dose-response’ relationship between the variables of interest: the longer the duration since first cannabis use, the higher the risk of psychosis-related outcomes.”

They also studied a subgroup of 228 sibling pairs to assess the association between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms.  The results showed that the association between the two persisted in this subgroup.

McGrath said these findings reduced the likelihood that the association was due to unmeasured shared genetic and or environmental influences. “We compared the duration since first cannabis use in one brother versus the other brother and we found a very consistent pattern that the duration of cannabis was linking to psychosis scores,” he said.

“So that allows us to tighten up the research a little bit more.”

THE RESULTS
At the 21-year follow-up the study found:

• 17.7% reported using cannabis for three years or less (18 years old when commenced)
• 16.2% reported using cannabis for four to five years (16 to 17 years old when commenced)
• 14.3% reported using cannabis for six years or more (15 years old or younger when commenced)

THE FINDINGS

• Teenagers who used cannabis for six years or more from the age of 14 were three times more likely of developing psychotic symptoms
• 65 received a diagnosis of ‘non-affective psychosis,’ such as schizophrenia
• 233 had at least one experience of hallucinations
• The longer the participants had been using cannabis the stronger was the association with multiple psychosis-related episodes

McGrath said that “the nature of the relationship between psychosis and cannabis use is by no means simple” and more research was needed to examine the mechanisms at work.
“We may have thought that cannabis is safe but in fact for young people in particular there are risks involved – and I think it’s important that young people know that if you use cannabis from an early age you do increase your risk of a psychotic disorder,” he said.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: McGrath J, Welham J, Scott J. “Association between cannabis use and psychosis-related outcomes using sibling pair analysis in a cohort of young adults”.

The term ‘cutting’ refers to the widespread practice of cutting yourself with a sharp object with the purpose of injuring and scaring  the skin. Although it is not much talked about in the media, this form of self harm has a growing following within the teenage population, especially girls. It is also alarming that tweens are beginning to participate in this practice as they face growing pressures in the world around them.

Teenagers who cut themselves say it helps them stay in control or relieve tension. It is often associated with depression, anxiety, binge eating and emotional issues but research has shown it does not usually lead to suicide among teenagers.

Most commonly done by children and early teenagers cutting is hidden in our society. Those who cut conceal their personal pain both physical and emotional.

Australian author Maggie Hamilton has written “What’s happening to our Girls?” this book covers many issues and discusses how our teenagers are overstimulated, oversold and oversexed. In the book she talks about cutting and says “as the self-hatred in girls grows, so too do the ways in which they express it. The number of girls who resort to self-injury has increased so much that cutting has been labeled the new anorexia. It is hard to know how many girls are cutting themselves because they do so in secret, it is now estimated that one in ten now do so.”

She goes on to give very important advice on how to help these teenagers “one of the most important messages girls need is that no-one copes all the time, and that they are not alone.”

In the USA a working party has been urging the American Psychiatric Association to elevate cutting from a symptom to a disorder in its own right, which would be called non-suicidal self injury. This new disorder would then be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which is used widely by doctors throughout the USA.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Source: www.npr.org

Read more here

It is crucial that adolescents receive the required nutrients while growing and developing. However it is also just as important to take action if a teenager is above a normal healthy weight. It is sometimes difficult to find a balance when there is so much in the media about diets and body image; when all teenage girls see are size 0 models. Below are some tips for parents and teenagers on what is an appropriate diet for a teenager.

The basics – the number of calories a person burn needs to be greater than those they consume. This does not mean eating less, but rather eating nutritious food within a balanced diet. Breakfast is important as it helps kick start the metabolism and sustains a teenager through the morning until lunch so the tempration to snack mid morning is reduced. Making  junk food an occasional indulgence and not eating late at night will also aid the digestive system.

How many calories – Teenage girls require around 2,000 calories per day, whilst boys need 2,500 per day. It is important for the body to receive the necessary calories each day in order to function properly and support growth and development. Depriving the body of calories and therefore energy can lead to poor concentration at school.

What to choose – make lower-calorie, higher nutritional choices, this is better than to take the shortcut by only reducing  food portions. Simple things like replacing soft drinks with water will make a huge difference. Have large amounts of fruit and veggies, as they are both filling and rich in nutrients.

Exercise – Social networking, computer games, assignments and watching television all mean many hours are spent sitting in one place in front of a screen. This static time needs to be balanced with some time spent in physical activities and exercise. Teenagers should  aim for 30 minutes of exercise, 4 times a week. School sports swimming and walking are easily available and fun to do.

No fad or extreme diets – Such choices affect teenagers’ growth and create health issues in the long run. Cutting out major food groups such as carbohydrates and good fats has an adverse effect on their development both physically and emotionally.

Diets to avoid as a teenager – because their bodies still need vital nutrients to fully develop, grow and strengthen, certain diets are not recommended for teenagers as they cut out too many of the major food groups vital to healthy growth. Make sure their diets are balanced and include all the major food groups.

For more information go to the government’s website “Measure Up”

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Violence in the schoolyard is becoming more prolific with the incidents becoming more serious and increasingly involving weapons of some kind.

New figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research showed an 8% increase in assaults occurring at schools during 2009, compared to 2008. During 2009 134 of the general assaults occurring on school grounds involved a weapon.

More alarming is the fact that these incidents are being committed by younger and younger children. Scuffles are no longer the domain of teenagers in the high school yard, the violence is now becoming wide spread in primary schools and fists are being replaced with weapons.

Dr Don Weatherburn of the Bureau feels that assaults are more likely to occur when schools don’t have a clear anti-bullying policy.

He said”school violence is something that there’s no acceptable level of. It’s crucial everybody does their bit to reduce the chance of a child carrying a weapon to school that could lead to a fatal attack.”

Violence in our schools – the facts*
134 use of weapons
68 sexual assaults
265 acts of indecent assault
8,022 incidents of property damage
*Figures from NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics, October 2008 – September 2009

A website called Bullying. No Way!  has been set up and is managed by all State, Territory and Commonwealth government education departments, together with Catholic and independent education sectors. It also has the support of students, staff, parents, agencies, education officers and community members from schools around the country.

The aim of the website is to give advice and support to parents and teachers so learning environments can be created where every student and school community member is safe, supported, respected and valued. It hopes to create a schoolyards and classrooms that are free from bullying, violence, harassment and discrimination.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manoocha.

Year 5 and 6 students will shortly be able to attend classes on ‘ethical discussions’ that are being introduced on a trial basis in ten NSW government schools across Sydney. These schools include Haberfield, Darlinghurst, Crown Street, Leichhardt and Hurstville. In April students at these schools who do not currently attend scripture lessons can participate in classes on ethics instead.

The trial will be funded and run by the St James Ethics Centre and will last for ten weeks. Volunteer parents will conduct each lesson.

One of the lessons covers ‘lying’ and students will look at particular cases and determine when it is acceptable to lie and why one lie is more or less acceptable than another.

The topics covered are:
1.   Moral dilemmas
2.   Fairness
3.   Lying
4.   Ethical principals
5.   Graffiti
6.   Use and abuse of animals
7.   Interfering with nature
8.   Vices and virtues
9.   Children’s rights
10. How to have a good life

Helen Walton of the NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens’ Associations said parents were excited about the new scheme.
“They’re things that kids probably already have some knowledge of, but it’s probably not something they’ve ever thought about,” she said.

“What this will allow them to do is articulate their beliefs and look at the fact that not everybody agrees and that people who disagree, have got valid reasons.”

An independent committee funded by the State Government will then conduct a review to see if the lessons should become a regular ongoing part of the school curriculum.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

See details of all the ethics lesson plans here

Find out more about the St James Ethics Centre here

There are growing concerns over a new drug on the streets commonly known as “Meow” that is becoming very popular on the clubbing scene.

The fear is that many teenagers new to night clubs and drugs might underestimate the strength and harmful effects this drug can hand out. The greatest danger lies in its addictive nature which leaves the user craving for more.

Its’ effects are similar to that of cocaine or ecstasy; including a feeling of euphoria, excitement, heightened awareness, the urge to talk openly and the ability to stay awake for extended periods of time.  It is cheap and easily available over the internet. Combine this with gentler coming down effects and you have a drug which is very attractive to teenagers.

The key ingredient is Mepherdrone; commonly used in fertilizers. In the UK it is illegal to sell Mepherdrone for human consumption but it can legally be sold as “plant food”.

Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Kevin Zuccato says anyone who wants to use it should think twice. ” It is a dangerous drug, no question about it. There have been deaths reported that have been linked to meow” he said.

Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia and speaker at the Generation Next seminars said, “definitely in terms of short-term effects we’ve seen some people who’ve used quite large amounts of it get very sick, people have talked about hallucinations but we really don’t know. Anyone who plays around with this drug really is being a guinea pig for the future”.

Those who have tried “Meow” say some of the side effects include an increased heart rate that sometimes leads to palpitations,  psychotic episodes, nose bleeds, hallucinations and in some cases self mutilation.

An online survey of 2,222 readers of the clubbing magazine Mixmag was recently carried out in the UK by the National Addiction Centre at Kings College. They found that 51% of mephedrone users said they suffered from headaches, 43% from heart palpitations, 27% from nausea and 15% from cold or blue fingers.

Recently, the Australian Federal Police seized 70 kilograms of drugs sent through the mail, including 20 kilograms of “Meow”. Research shows that it is contained in some legal highs and is sometimes sold mixed with methylone, also known as “Bubbles”.

It has now been banned in Finland and Sweden following the death of an 18 year old Swedish teenage girl in December 2008.  In Australia mephedrone is not specifically listed as prohibited, however  Federal Police have stated that it is an analog to methcathinone and therefore illegal. Technically mephedrone/4MMC can still be sold in the UK, although not for human use and it is still unscheduled in the USA.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Sleazy lifestyle games website for tweens.

A new website was launched in the UK shortly before Christmas aimed at the ‘tweens’ called My Minx and already it has attracted over 20,000 members, some as young as seven years old. Originally billed as ”Barbie meets Chanel”  the games’ creators also made Miss Bimbo, which has over two million members and has been criticsed for encouraging young girls to give their characters diet pills and ‘boob jobs’.

The site allows the children to play a game in which they create a virtual avatar and then act out certain life style options including; being a stipper, a dog handler or adopting children from overseas (coincidently these adopted children come from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Malawi with names such as Pax, Maddox, Sahara and David and bear a striking resemblence to the adopted children of Madonna and Angelina Jolie).

Clubbing, binge drinking and one night stands are the norm. Players design their own saucy lingerie brands and handbag ranges as they compete to create the most stylish minx, competing to be crowned the ‘minx of minxes’ in the game. The use of condoms and the morning after pill are also options as the minxes hit the town in “Style City” with the sole purpose of attracting casual partners, the more the better it seems with each players IQ increasing as they use more condoms.

Recently journalist Kim MacDonald spent some time on the site creating ‘Kasma Booty’ a cartoon avatar in the online game. Her trip to the plastic surgeon gave her avatar enhanced breasts and poutier lips. The happiness level on her profile page automatically adjusted from 86 per cent to 100 per cent following surgery.

Macdonald’s comment was ”If I had a daughter, she would not be allowed anywhere near My Minx.”

Tweens are using Twitter and MySpace to spread the word about this sordid virtual world.

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, author of Real Wired Child and Generation Next speaker, said parents need to develop a “digital spine” by putting an end to inappropriate online activities. He is counselling a growing number of children with what he calls ”problematic net behaviour”.

An Edith Cowan University child psychologist and cyber expert, Julian Dooley, said websites such as these were bad for children’s self-esteem, and created negative impressions about women.

”This sort of site sexualises women, which can create negative body images, low self-esteem and unhealthy ideas about women’s roles in society in terms of sexual behaviour,” said Dr Dooley, the scientific director of ECU’s Cyber-bullying and Child Health Promotion Research Centre.

”The extent to which exposure to this sort of content affects their offline behaviour remains to be seen, but what is clear from other areas of research is that this sort of highly sexualised content creates unhealthy attitudes about sexual behaviour and intimate relationships. For example, it may lead to expectations that you need to be well-endowed or wear skimpy clothes to be popular”.

Andy Hibberd, spokesman for parents’ rights group Parentkind, said: “It is sending out all the wrong messages and the only reason its creators have made it is to make money. ‘They are exploiting children for profit. Children’s innocence is very precious and should be protected for as long as possible”.

Writer Helen splarn,  Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Source: Daily Mail UK. Read more here.

The tragic circumstances surrounding the fatal stabbing of 12-year-old school boy Elliott Fletcher during a school yard fracas at St Patrick’s College at Shorncliffe Brisbane on Monday 15 February has sent shock waves around the country.

It has prompted new calls for more security at the school gate and the introduction of metal detectors. However these measures do not address the underlying problems facing both the children and parents of this generation.

Experts are beginning to respond to this growing crisis in our schools. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, a psychologist and Generation Next speaker, is an internationally recognised authority on teenage behaviour. He told the 7.30 Report that “the reality is that what we need in schools is a framework which is gonna help work through the massive complexity of bullying and metal detectors aren’t gonna be the solution”.

What is it in our society and community that would lead a 13 year old boy to resort to such violence in order to settle a play ground argument? Did he really understand the full implications and consequences of his actions? Stabbing another person is a very serious action, one which can and did end in the futile loss of a young and precious life. In the process it has also destroyed the life of the perpetrator.

Kerry O’Brien from the 7.30 Report asked Dr Michael Carr-Gregg “How capable is a young adolescent today of understanding consequences?”

“I think what the research is now showing us very clearly is that the teenage brain is fully developed in the mid-20s; there’re gender differences, girls brains seem to be developed round about 23, boys on a good day with the wind behind you, 25. But the reality is that kids need guidelines, they need boundaries, they need limits and they need examples set. But they also need clear guidelines as to what is and what is not acceptable behaviour,” he replied.

Resorting to violence as a means of conflict resolution among teenagers is increasing in our schools with this incident alone being the second school stabbing involving students in Brisbane in the last fortnight. It also highlights a growing trend within Australian youth to carry knives.

Deakin University chair of health psychology John Toumbourou co-authored a study into the difference between the gun culture pervading US schools and the growing knife culture in Australian schools. His study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, found that more than one in six Australian boys had been involved in violence in the 12-month study period.

This is supported by Professor Paul Mazerolle, a Queensland criminologist and director of Griffith University’s Violence Research Program who says there is growing anecdotal evidence to suggest schools are getting more violent. “What is particularly concerning is the young people are carrying knives. If anything, we are fortunate that we don’t have a gun culture in Australia like they do in other parts of the world,” he said.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, an incident like this raises many issues such as cyber bullying, violent computer games, binge drinking and the isolation and anxiety that many teenagers experience while just trying to deal with their daily lives.

Professor Toumbourou says instead of increasing security measures; Australia should be dealing with the underlying problems that trigger the attacks. “We’ve got to get major reductions in alcohol use among adolescents and we’ve got to do a lot to build the skills to stop people reacting violently,” he said. “You need to get the environment so that young people are aware of how to relate to one another and there’s not alcohol in the background causing unnecessary violent events. In Australia, alcohol use is high amongst adolescents,” he said.

Anxiety, depression and stress levels experienced by young people today is at an all time high; with bullying, harassment and the constant need to bow to peer pressure playing a large part of the cause.

Dr Carr-Gregg says fatal stabbings are “very rare”, but the broader problem of bullying and harassment in schools must be recognised. “In 2005, Gene Healy from the University of Western Sydney said it was about one in five. And Professor Donna Cross’s report in 2009 was that it’s one in four. So it’s definitely there and it would appear on the surface to be getting worse,” he said. The NSW Parliament has just completed an inquiry into bullying and harassment.

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg also pointed out that “there’s a spike in bullying when kids move from primary to secondary, we know that boys engage in the more physical stuff and the girls the more psychological stuff”.

Research has identified 5 key factors which influence both male and female youth violence as they make their transition from childhood into adulthood, they are:

1. The individual
2. The family
3. The school
4. The community
5. The peer group

This passage would be made easier if the community, schools, parents and teenagers were better equipped with life skills such as face to face communication, anger management, problem solving, decision making and conflict resolution. If more time was spent participating in hobbies and outside interests where real life experiences and social interaction occurred and less time was spent in front of the computer living  a ‘virtual life’ through social networks and games.

This is compounded by the breakdown in communication that many parents are experiencing with their children. Parents are flying blind, with no social ‘indicators’ to tell them where their teenagers are really at and no common ‘shared’ interests on which to build the firm foundations of a meaningful relationship where the lines of communication are open and accessible for both parties.

Finally Dr Michael Carr-Gregg stressed the importance of parents keeping the lines of communication open with their children and told Kerry O’Brien how they could best explain recent events to them and reassure them.

“Well, first of all, that it was an unusual incident. They need to be asked how they feel. They need to have their feelings legitimised, and they need to be told then that this is a moment that we can learn from, that we can move on from, and that most importantly, the reality is we live in a very, very safe country, it’s unlikely to happen again”.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

The full 7.30 Report transcript with Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

The Facts about cereal nutrition and food marketing to children.

Published in “Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine”, November 15 2009

Cereal companies worldwide speak to children early through everything from TV advertising and product placement on their favourite foods and clothing to the DVD’s they watch and the games they play. Their campaigns are aggressive, direct and most dangerously they captivate children’s attention, often promising them a sense of fulfilment that cannot be met. The least healthy cereal companies are the worst culprits and their marketing strategies negatively influence children’s dietary choices which can lead to health issues as they grow older.

The Bad News: Children are exposed to a vast amount of marketing for highly-sugared cereals, more than for any other category of packaged food.

What was once a simple marketing landscape— television advertising during cartoons—has morphed into a complex web of persuasive messages even adults may not perceive as marketing. Internet games and marketing through social media such as Facebook are just the beginning and do not capture digital advances that will occur in the future.

The cereals marketed to children fail every reasonable nutrition test, yet according to the food industry are “better-for-you” foods. Eleven of the 13 cereals advertised most to children on television are also marketed heavily on the internet.

The Better News: It need not be this way. Most cereals marketed to children are high in sugar, high in sodium, and low in fiber. Many are highly colorful because of artificial dyes, making healthier cereals, very literally, pale in comparison. Yet, every cereal company does have products that earn good nutrition scores, but these are marketed to adults, not children.

Reinforcing the myth that children will not eat low-sugar cereals, the industry has funded a number of studies that find that highly- sweetened cereal is good for children, especially when compared to having no breakfast at all. Breakfast is good—make no mistake—but a breakfast with less sugar, more fiber, and less sodium will be better for children. A new study delivers good news. Research conducted at Yale* shows that children will eat low-sugar cereals when they are provided.

Children given low-sugar cereal ate the cereal in appropriate amounts, and even when allowed to add table sugar, consumed less sugar overall compared to children given highly-sweetened cereals (who ate twice the recommended serving size). Children liked their cereal equally whether it was highly sugared or not.

This comprehensive report is a first step in quantifying the marketing and nutrition impact of cereals marketed to children. The hope is that cereal companies, whether by choice or mandate, will make rapid and sustained progress toward marketing only healthy cereals, as defined by objective nutrition standards, to children and adolescents.

* Schwartz, M.B. Paper presented at the annual meeting of The Obesity Society, Washington, D.C., October, 2009

FACTS - the Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score – was developed by health researchers at Yale University. The Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University recently compiled then “Nutrition and Marketing of Children’s Cereals” A summary of their findings are as follows:

Key Findings

• Compared to cereals marketed to adults, those marketed to children have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber, and 60% more sodium. Together, cereal companies spend more than $156 million per year marketing to children.
• Of the ten cereals with the worst overall impact (nutrition and marketing scores combined), six are products from General Mills, three are from Kellogg, and one is from Post.
• The average preschooler sees 642 cereal ads per year just on television, almost all for cereals with the worst nutrition ratings.The Nielsen Company, 2008 data, “comScore Media Metrix Key Measures Report).
• Cereal company websites are highly engaging. Young people visiting the sites remain there a long time, an average of 23.7 minutes per visit in the case of Millsberry.com. Cereal products are often turned into toys or playthings on these sites and are associated with fun and in some cases, good health.
• Cereal companies have made only slight progress in reformulating their products, dropping the average sugar content of cereals marketed to children from three-and-a-half to three teaspoons of sugar per serving.
• The cereal companies all have products that receive good nutrition scores, but few are marketed to children. Research shows that children will eat the healthier cereals.

Recommendations

• Cereals marketed to children should meet objective nutrition standards that have children’s health as the aim. We recommend those used by the UK Food Standards Agency, which are based on research by scientists at Oxford University.
• If the food industry is to be considered a trustworthy public health partner, it must adopt meaningful standards that stop “gaming the system.” Self-regulatory pledges by the cereal companies have thus far been weak and have not shielded  children from a barrage of messages to eat the least healthy products. Self-regulation by industry should not forestall needed government action.
• Companies have made various pledges to market only healthier products in “children’s media,” but define this media so narrowly that vast numbers of children are exposed to marketing of the least healthy products while they are watching media not specifically targeted to children. Products failing to meet nutrition standards should not be marketed when either the percentage of children in an audience exceeds a defined level or the number of children in an audience reaches a defined level. Standards should be set by an objective body such as the Institute of Medicine.
• It is critical that efforts to decrease the harm done by marketing unhealthy foods to children do not inadvertently encourage companies to find new promotion strategies that fall outside of the monitoring radar. Companies should be held accountable for the impact of their products on children and for not having made meaningful changes through self- regulation. Government’s role is to define and monitor this harm in ways that ensure that companies make substantial improvements to the quality of products they sell and market for children’s consumption.

Top 10 most nutritional cereals:

1. Mini-Wheats Kellogg
2. Organic Wild Puffs Barbara’s Bakery
3. Honey Sunshine Kashi
4. Mighty Bites Kashi
5. Clifford Crunch Cascadian Farm
6. Hannah Montana Kellogg
7. Life Quaker
8. Kix General Mills
9. Cheerios (except Honey Nut) General Mills
10. Puffins Barbara’s Bakery

Find out more about Cereal FACTS here.

Published in “Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine“, November 15 2009. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha