Millions Of Kids Come Home From School Today, Flick On The Telly And Enjoy Some Wholesome Gambling Ads

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

Millions of Australian children have today discovered a fresh new world of entertainment after school, following the government's ban on under-16s using social media.

Instead of enjoying a nice scroll of TikTok or Snapchat like they usually would, most kids have reportedly wandered inside, kicked off their shoes and switched on the telly, where they were greeted with a back-to-back parade of gambling advertisements during the evening's Imparja news broadcast.

According to research conducted by the South Betoota Polytechnic College in the lead up to this historic ban, children between 10 and 17 actually watch far more TV in the evenings than in the traditional after-school window, meaning the government's ban has accidentally delivered wagering companies an even larger youth audience at the exact time gambling ads surge nationwide.

Local Year 7 student Noah Greenfield told The Advocate he was hit for six by the new media landscape.

"I got home and tried to open Insta like normal but it said I had to do an age check," he said.

"So I chucked on Imparja instead. First thing I saw was a bloke yelling at me about boosted odds for the greyhounds. It shocked me a bit but then they crossed to the weather and I forgot about it. Then the weatherman offered odds on whether it would rain tomorrow."

Noah explained that he had expected the ban to be inconvenient but not life changing.

"I just wanted to see my mates' stories," he said. “

"Now all I know that we're only paying $1.10 to win in Adelaide."

As Noah and children across the Diamantina soon learned, news and current affairs programs are exempt from gambling-ad restrictions, which means the nightly bulletin remains one of the safest places in Australia to show ads featuring dead-eyed actors pretending that placing Christmas multis is a family tradition.

Noah's mother, Allison, said the policy had not delivered the wholesome outcome she expected.

"I thought they would read a book or go outside," she said.

"Instead my son now knows the difference between fixed odds and tote betting. I do not even know what that means. I'd honestly rather he be out there greening out in a bamboo grove down the park than gambling."

Researchers told the The Advocate that older children are the most vulnerable to gambling marketing, showing the highest recall, brand loyalty and recognition of wagering companies, especially during the 7pm to 9pm period when ad volume peaks.

The Advocate reached out to the Communications Minister’s office but were told we have been "put in time out" for yesterdays headlines.

More to come.