It is widely accepted that children find it difficult to resist junk food advertisements. However, a new study has found that their parents may find it just as difficult.

Australian scientists investigated the impact of television and internet advertisements relating to food on over 1,000 parents and 1,000 children aged between eight and 14.

The participants watched four ads for foods that were high in energy but low in nutrients.

The scientists said that they only included children up to the age of 14 because until now, it was assumed that those under 14 ‘may be unable to activate the cognitive defences required to withstand advertising effects. Adults, by comparison, are considered to be sceptical of advertising and able to activate appropriate cognitive defences'.

However, the study found that after the parents watched each junk food ad, they looked on the product being advertised more favourably, they desired the product more and they felt they could eat it more often.

"Adults are thought to have greater immunity to advertising effects relative to children due to their greater cognitive processing abilities. As a result, existing food advertising regulations are focused primarily on limiting children's exposure to advertisements for junk food.

"But these regulations don't take into account the broader influence of the sheer quantity of junk food ads, which has the potential to normalise the consumption of these foods in a social sense," the scientists from the University of Western Australia said.

They added that the findings suggest that junk food ads ‘can lead both parents and children to evaluate these products more favourably and influence how desirable and acceptable they are'.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Public Health Nutrition.