Research reveals ‘millions’ of chances for young people to view alcohol, tobacco and junk food on reality TV shows

Young people are being exposed to alcohol, tobacco and junk food on TV despite regulation

The research, which features in the Journal of Public Health, published by Oxford University, follows on from previous work which showed that media exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and foods high in fat or sugar is a risk factor for smoking, alcohol use, and unhealthy eating in young people.

However, such imagery remains widespread in prime-time television programs, including reality TV which appeals to young people by providing a form of escapism and aspirational realism for viewers.

As part of the Cancer Research UK funded study, psychologists looked at a sample of 20 reality TV programs broadcast from 2019 to 2020 in English-speaking countries to assess the potential exposure children have to tobacco, alcohol, and foods high in sugar and fat on popular television shows.

They measured the number of one-minute intervals containing tobacco, alcohol, and HFSS imagery, including actual use, implied use, tobacco, alcohol or HFSS-related materials, and product-specific branding. They found that tobacco content appeared in 2% of intervals across 2% of episodes viewed. Alcohol appeared across 39% of intervals and 98% of the episodes studied. Foods which are high in sugar and fat appeared in 13% of intervals viewed across 88% of episodes studied.

Whilst tobacco branding was rare, alcohol branding was seen in 46% of episodes, with a total of 149 different brands being seen. HFSS branding was seen in 39% of episodes with a total of 93 brands being seen.

The researchers combined the data from a sub-sample of 15 series with audience viewing figures and population data and estimate that these series delivered approximately 157.4 million tobacco, 3.5 billion alcohol, and 1.9 billion HFSS impressions to the UK population, including 24 thousand, 12.6 million and 21.4 million, to children respectively.

Findings reveal significantly more tobacco and junk food content on broadcast TV than on Netflix programs, though there was no significant difference in alcohol content. The researchers also found no substantial variance in the amount of tobacco use and branding shown between the different countries studied, but they did find significantly more intervals containing alcohol and junk food content in programs from the United Kingdom compared to reality TV made in the United States or Australia.

Lead researcher Dr Alex Barker, lecturer in Psychology at NTU’s School of Social Sciences, said: “There is now strong evidence to suggest that exposure to tobacco, alcohol and HFSS advertising and other content in the media increases subsequent use and consumption in adolescents. The current study provides evidence that reality TV programmes are a significant source of exposure to tobacco, alcohol, and HFSS imagery.

“Whilst tobacco content was rare, these programmes are widely viewed and seen by young people and due to the nature of reality TV, with its inspirational role models, is likely influencing smoking, drinking and food consumption choices in young people. The current regulations around the depiction of this imagery in popular programmes are not sufficient and need revising to prevent youth exposure.”