A content analysis of food and beverage advertisements associated with Arabic children's videos on the internet and its relation to dental health

Abstract

Background and Aim: The use of targeted advertising by internet providers has meant that unlike television, all viewers do not view the same advertising content. The aim of this study was to analyze three popular Arabic children's video channels on YouTube™ and analyze the advertisements associated with these channels. The study also aimed to evaluate if the advertisement content varied according to the type of user. Methodology: The three most popular Arabic children's channels on YouTube™ were accessed using two separate Google™ accounts; one which frequently accessed children's content and one that never did. The content of advertisements and the number and pattern of repetition of advertisements were tabulated. The food and beverage content and the sugar content were documented. These were compared between the two accounts using the Chi-square test. Results: Food and beverage advertising comprised almost half the total advertising with a significantly greater number of high sugar food and beverage content advertising on the account which frequently accessed children's content. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the content and penetration of advertisements on the internet vary too much to be meaningfully regulated. Dentists should be aware of the effect of these advertisements and counsel parents to the dangers of targeted advertising of high sugar products on the internet.

Keywords

• Children's videos
• content analysis
• internet
• sugars