• Digital marketing on platforms like TikTok and Instagram exposes children to ads for ultra-processed foods (high in sugar, salt and fat), contributing to childhood obesity. Many kids don’t realize they’re being targeted.
• Studies show that exposure to junk food ads increases children’s desire for and consumption of unhealthy food, with influencer marketing having a particularly strong impact.
• High smartphone and social media usage among children worldwide (e.g., 95 percent of U.S. teens, 91 percent of Australian teens) ensures widespread exposure to unhealthy food marketing.
• Voluntary regulations fail to protect kids, as marketers use influencers, interactive content and pandemic-themed strategies to bypass restrictions. WHO calls for stricter government-led policies.
• Researchers advocate for stronger laws, better education to help kids recognize ads and international cooperation to curb harmful marketing practices targeting youth.

Amid the ubiquity of digital devices, a new paper reveals that social media is playing a significant role in promoting unhealthy eating habits among children and adolescents, contributing to the global childhood obesity epidemic.

The study published in BMJ Global Health in February highlights how young people are being bombarded with digital marketing for ultra-processed foods high in sugar, salt and fat, often without realizing they are being targeted.

In recent years, the rise of social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram has transformed the way food companies market their products. Unlike traditional media, these platforms use sophisticated algorithms to track user behavior and deliver personalized content.

This means that children and teenagers are constantly exposed to ads for unhealthy food, often embedded within videos, polls, games or quizzes. The subtlety of these ads makes it difficult for young users to recognize that they are being marketed to. (Related: Obesity is a social thing: Study finds health habits are “contagious” and highly influenced by social groups.)

The review looked at 80 different reports involving nearly 20,000 children and teenagers. It found a strong link between exposure to food ads and increased consumption of unhealthy foods.

For instance, children who saw more junk food ads were more likely to eat those foods, want them and ask their parents to buy them – a phenomenon known as “pester behavior.” Another study showed that influencer marketing of junk food significantly increased immediate food intake among nine- to 11-year-olds, while healthy food promotions had no such effect.

The impact of social media marketing is not limited to one country. In the United States, more than 95 percent of adolescents have access to a smartphone, with over 35 percent reporting near-constant use of the top five social media platforms.

In the United Kingdom, nine in 10 children own a mobile phone by age 11. Nearly a quarter of children ages five to seven also have their own phones, with more than one-third on social media.

Meanwhile, in Australia, a 2023 survey found that 91 percent of teens ages 14 to 17 and 54 percent of children ages 10 to 13 own a mobile phone. One in seven children between six and nine years old. Incidentally, the Land Down Under approved a social media ban for those younger than 16 years old last November.

The role of influencers and interactive content

The study also revealed that food marketers are increasingly using influencers and interactive content to appeal to young audiences. In Canada, 72 percent of youth ages seven to 16 were exposed to food marketing within 10 minutes of using their favorite social media apps.

On the country’s most-used websites for children, more than 93 percent of food ads promoted items high in fat, sodium or sugar. The most frequently advertised categories included cakes, cookies and ice cream.

The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has further influenced food marketing strategies. In New Zealand, 14 of the top 20 unhealthy food and drink brands posted COVID-themed content during the pandemic, using relevant themes to stay visible and influential.

Instagram marketing tactics tend to appeal to a younger audience. Meanwhile, Facebook advertisements often include interactive games and apps.

The World Health Organization has long warned that food marketing is a public health threat that negatively affects children’s food choices and dietary intake. In July 2023, the global health body released a new guideline recommending that countries implement comprehensive mandatory policies to protect children from the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages high in saturated fats, trans fats, free sugars and/or salt.

The study reinforces this warning, calling for urgent, government-led reforms to better protect youth online. It also underscores the urgent need for action to address the impact of social media on children’s eating habits.

The researchers conclude that unhealthy food regulations for children and adolescents have not kept up with the changing digital marketing landscape, particularly with the rise of social media. They argue that the same regulations and approaches that were employed for traditional media sources will not be effective across the digital world.

The study authors ultimately call for parents and guardians to advocate for government regulations to better protect children from ultra-processed and other unhealthy food marketing practices. “Children deserve to grow up in an environment that supports their health, not one that constantly encourages them to eat junk food,” said senior study author Dr. Cervantee Wild.

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Sources include:

Childrenshealthdefense.org

GH.BMJ.com

PHC.Ox.ac.uk

NPR.org

Brighteon.com