Junk food firms are targeting children with adverts for Haribo sweets and Coca-Cola on YouTube, an investigation has found. The adverts would breach the strict guidelines in place for television which ban them being screened close to children’s programs. But there are no rules in place for YouTube and they are being played before popular short films watched by up to five million children. Experts say that the adverts give children a subconscious craving and make them inclined to ‘grab the nearest sugary thing around.’ Vloggers’ sites such as Zoella's - followed by millions of girls on YouTube - are featuring adverts for products high in sugar like Coca-Cola and Haribo, and even gambling websites . An investigation found that video blogs - known as vlogs – popular with children aged 11 to 17 are being hijacked by 30 second adverts for junk food and online gambling sites. They are being played before popular films uploaded by a personality called Zoella, real name Zoe Suggs, a 24-year-old from Brighton. She records several films a week about what’s in her handbag, her thoughts on having babies and whether she should spend time with her best friend or boyfriend which are watched regularly by at least five million children and teenagers. Before watching the film, viewers are first played a 30 second advert which is chosen at random. Although some of these are for harmless products such as Dolmio pasta sauce or hair dye, others are for Haribo, Coca-Cola and for an online gambling website, according to the Independent newspaper. But a spokesman for YouTube said gambling adverts weren’t shown to children and teenagers as they could only be seen by viewers who had confirmed they were over 18. A third of children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school and the rates are amongst the worst in Western Europe. Although the watchdog Ofcom has enforced strict rules banning junk food adverts being screened close to children’s TV programs, they do not apply to YouTube. Campaigners are calling for the regulations to be toughed-up. Experts have warned of the dangers of advertising such products to young people, adding if they were broadcast on terrestrial children’s television, they would likely break Advertising Standards Authority rules . Professor Jason Halford, a health behaviour expert at the University of Liverpool, said: ‘Advertising does affect children in terms of what they purchase and reinforcing the brand. ‘But even beyond brand, our research has found it makes them grab the nearest sugary thing around, irrespective of their appetite.’ Christine Blower, chair of the National Union of Teachers said: ‘With approximately 30 per cent of UK children apparently either overweight or obese, it should be incumbent on the next Government to toughen the regulations so that children are not bombarded with junk food marketing when they are online.’ Graham MacGregor, chair of Action on Sugar said: ‘Regulations about online advertising need to mirror that of TV advertising.’ It is unclear the vloggers are aware of the products advertised before their posts and there was no response from their management companies when contacted by The Independent.
Adverts feature products high in sugar like Coca-Cola and Haribo . Children watching video bloggers also being unwittingly exposed to them . These adverts, if broadcast on terrestrial children's TV, would be likely to break Advertising Standards Authority rules .