Teenagers being bombarded with unhealthy food ads online, study finds

Kenneth Fox

Irish teenagers are being exposed to very large amounts of unhealthy food marketing online, with estimates that they view up to 19 clear-cut posts promoting unhealthy food on average every hour they use social media, according to new research.

A study commissioned by Safefood – the all-Ireland food safety promotion board – estimated that teenagers using social media for just two hours per day would be exposed to almost 11,000 unhealthy food marketing posts per year.

“These exposure rates are striking,” the study observed.

It said: “Consistent evidence for the impact of food marketing on children’s preferences, eating, overall diet and health indicates that this volume of exposure could cause severe harm to children’s health over time.”

However, it also claimed that the figures were likely to represent “a substantial underestimate” of the total digital exposure of adolescents to unhealthy food marketing, as the research excluded an examination of mobile game and food delivery apps, as well as online gaming.

The study noted parents were largely unaware of the volume and nature of digital food marketing which their children encountered online, even though they frequently displayed enjoyment and appetite as a result of watching it.

Nutrient profiling showed that 96 per cent of foods promoted on social media would be classified as “not permitted” for marketing to children under World Health Organisation guidelines.

The report said the data from the research indicated that the current regulatory regime was “almost entirely ineffective at monitoring and protecting children from exposure to unhealthy food marketing.”

In order to address concerns raised by its findings, the study recommends that there should be a ban on the marketing of unhealthy food on all digital media to which children are exposed.

It also called for greater regulation to address marketing by influencers and content creators that goes beyond disclosure requirements.

The report claimed industry self-regulation is not working based on the very high levels of exposure to unhealthy food marketing posts identified by the research.

They recommend that the monitoring of food marketing regulation should be “independent, effective, efficient and adequately supported.”

The report, entitled Our Kids' Exposure to Unhealthy Food Marketing Online, analysed food marketing on social media in Ireland, as well as conducting interviews and focus groups with children, parents and advertisers.

It is observed that the negative effects of marketing food and drink products which are high in saturated fats, sugar or salt on behaviour and health have been known for decades.

The study also revealed that teenagers spend considerably longer looking at food marketing posts by influencers than paid advertisements.

On average, they spent 15 seconds viewing the content of food marketing posts by influencers compared to three seconds for regular ads. Teenagers also engaged with 44 per cent of posts by influencers.

Over a third of all food posts – both branded and unbranded – came from social media influencers, with a quarter coming from food brands.

The most common brand identified was McDonald’s, followed by Wingstop, Cadbury, Oreo, Lidl, Coca-Cola, Lucozade, Raising Cane’s, Nestle and Nutella.

Separately, advertisers acknowledged to researchers that children can be reached through digital marketing, despite existing restrictions that they cannot be targeted explicitly.

They also remarked how brands were currently pursuing micro-influencers and nano-influencers in a search for more authentic and relatable content.

Advertisers felt regulation of digital food marketing was “a grey area” and was either absent, not complied with or not effective in comparison to the regulation of advertising on other media like TV, radio and print.

Researchers conducting the study said they came across “many blurred lines in social media content regarding what constituted marketing.”

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