The anti-ad brigade

1. Read the article.

The anti-ad brigade.

• Sweden's powerful consumer association, Sveriges Kosumentraad (SK), is stepping up its fight against television advertising aimed at children. The association, a coalition of trade unions and other influential organisations, wants Sweden's ban extended to the entire European Union. Europe's food and toy industries have long fought against the ban, but SK's actions will delight consumer groups that regard Sweden as a pioneer in protecting children's rights.
• Sweden is often used by both sides of the debate in the UK over the role of TV advertising of food brands in encouraging obesity among children. There is a lack of clear-cut evidence that, since the ban came into force in 1991, Swedish children have enjoyed exceptionally low levels of obesity. And some surveys show that Swedish kids are more overweight than their neighbours in Denmark, where there is no ban. Despite this, the supporters of a ban in Sweden are strongly vocal. "Children have the right not to be exposed to television advertising, and it is heart-warming that so many Swedish MEPs share our view," says Sveriges Kosumentraad spokeswoman Emelie Lothgren.
• While it only applies to television — not other children's media such as magazines, outdoor or radio — the ban forbids the broadcasting of television commercials aimed at children under the age of 12 at times when those children are likely to be watching. As these rules effectively turn children's slots in advertising-free zones, anybody trying to sell goods to children can only aim a television campaign at parents or other relatives watching television after 9 p.m., when most Swedes (a nation of early-risers) are already in bed.
• Yet despite the best efforts of the authorities to protect them from commercialisation, Swedish children are just as familiar as their counterparts from the rest of Europe with the latest advertising jingles for snacks and breakfast cereals. This is because of a loophole in the law — it applies only to television stations based in Sweden and not to foreign-based cable and satellite channels. Penetration of cable and satellite is high in Sweden, as in most of Scandinavia, and large, multinational broadcasters such as Viacom's Nickelodeon and Time Warner's Cartoon Network can all be viewed in the country. What's more, Swedish-language networks TV3 and Kanal 5 are also at liberty to broadcast as much child-directed advertising as they like without fear of censure, as they broadcast from the UK via satellite.

2. Answer the question:

What is the key message of the article?

3. Choose the best option.

• It is clear that Swedish children are more obese, despite the ban on TV advertising of food products to children.
• The effects of the ban on children's TV advertising in Sweden are not clear, and, in any case, not all broadcasting companies have to follow it.
• Sweden will eventually be able to ban TV advertising to children in the whole of the European Union.

4. Decide if the sentences are True or False

• Sveriges Konsumentraad is stopping its fight against advertising to children. True or False
• Sveriges Konsumentraad doesn't speak on behalf of other organisations. True or False
• Sveriges Konsumentraad wants the ban on advertising to children to operate in the whole of the European Union. True or False
• Sveriges Konsumentraad wants the ban to apply only to food products. True or False
• Sveriges Konsumentraad will make consumer groups happy by what it is doing. True or False

Источник: https://www.ft.com/