Industry Pressure to Implement Unfunded Educational Resources by Health Professionals Opposed
The Department for Education in the UK has been urged to ensure that third-party educational materials used in schools are balanced and free of hidden agendas. This call comes following concerns about materials that teach children how to fill out betting slips and programs funded by industries with conflicting interests, such as alcohol producers.
A group of 58 public health supporters, including doctors, researchers, and charities, have made this request. They argue that these programs look more like ads than real education, potentially harming children's health and understanding of risky behaviours.
Ireland has already taken steps to prevent such materials from being used in schools, citing potential harm as the reason. Health experts in the UK are now advocating for the Department for Education to follow Ireland's example.
The Department for Education encourages schools to use evidence-based resources and to ensure that educational materials are free from commercial bias. However, specific guidelines on preventing corporate influence from the alcohol, gambling, and junk food industries in educational resources may not be widely detailed in publicly available documents.
Critics have highlighted cases where classroom programs, backed by companies like Diageo, do not give the full picture of how alcohol is linked to health issues, such as cancer. People have also called out resources from Gamble Aware, a charity funded by the betting industry, for sneaking in gambling mechanics to students while pretending to push "responsible gambling."
Professor Chris van Tulleken, an infectious disease expert, compared this practice to letting tobacco companies teach kids about smoking. He emphasised the importance of stricter rules to safeguard the integrity of education and shield students from corporate influence.
Starbucks asserts that its school cafés in sixth forms are there to provide additional services, not to influence students' eating and drinking habits. However, health experts continue to raise concerns about resources that distort scientific proof and shift blame for harm from what companies do to people and even children.
The Department for Education's updated guidelines now focus on resources with potential conflicts of interest, particularly those linked to harmful products. The UK Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has been asked to stop schools from using learning resources funded by alcohol, gambling, and junk food industries.
Schools in the UK are given the freedom to choose their educational tools based on their local situation. Nevertheless, the updated guidelines advise schools to be cautious when using resources linked to organisations with a commercial stake in harmful products. The debate continues as health experts and advocates push for stricter rules to protect the quality of education and prevent companies from exploiting students.
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