Shocking Study Reveals: Kids See Junk Food Ads Every 4 Minutes Online - Are Influencers to Blame?

The Alarming Reality of Digital Food Marketing to Children

Children are exposed to unhealthy food marketing every four minutes while browsing online, according to groundbreaking research from Safefood. Teenagers, in particular, view food-marketing posts from influencers for five times longer than traditional paid advertisements.

The Volume of Exposure

The study, titled 'Our Kids' Exposure to Unhealthy Food Marketing Online,' reveals that children see an average of 15 to 19 junk-food marketing posts every hour. For a child spending two hours daily on social media, this translates to 10,950 unhealthy food-marketing posts annually. Those engaging for 4.5 hours daily face over 30,000 adverts per year.

Health Implications and Parental Awareness

Nearly 96% of the nutrient-profiled foods presented to children fail to meet World Health Organization guidelines for marketing to children. Safefood notes that children often respond to these digital marketing examples with feelings of hunger or thirst, and with pleasure, enjoyment, or enthusiasm. Meanwhile, parents are largely unaware of this high level of exposure, often believing their children are immune to such marketing effects.

The Power of Influencer Marketing

Teenagers view food marketing posts from influencers for substantially longer than other food content—an average of 15 seconds more per post. They also engage with influencer food-marketing posts much more frequently (44% of influencer posts compared to 7.5% of paid ads).

Research Methodology

The study included screen capture recordings of 38 children aged 13–17 while they scrolled through social media. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 175 children aged 4–17 and 49 parents in urban and rural areas around Belfast and Galway. Researchers analyzed social media campaigns of high-sales food brands and held confidential interviews with 15 advertisers, mostly senior executives.

Key Findings on Advertising Recognition

Young people struggle to spot advertisements, even when labeled as 'ads.' Many, including older teenagers, do not fully interpret them as commercial persuasion. This challenge is particularly evident in influencer and native-marketing formats, where advertising is seamlessly integrated into everyday content, blurring the lines between entertainment and commercial intent.

Regulatory Landscape and Calls for Action

In Ireland, there is currently no legislation regulating the targeting of children by unhealthy food marketing online, though the industry operates a voluntary code of conduct. Organizations like the Irish Heart Foundation have called for regulation of digital marketing where children can be directly targeted by junk-food adverts. Ireland restricts broadcast advertising to under-18s of food high in fat, sugar, and salt—but only on TV up to 6pm.

Expert Insights

Safefood Chief Executive Joanne Uí Chrualaoich stated, "This shows for the first time on the island of Ireland the volume of unhealthy food marketing children see online. These findings are concerning, as this daily influence is undermining efforts to foster healthy eating habits and poses a serious threat to children's long-term health."

Director of Nutrition at Safefood, Aileen McGloin, added, "Children don't identify this as marketing but rather see it as engaging or fun content from someone that they trust. This is a clear example that the child's interests and interactions online drives the amount of this unhealthy content that they are exposed to."

Global Context

The findings align with similar studies conducted in Australia, Canada, and Mexico, highlighting a global issue in digital food marketing to children.

Study Collaboration

This research was conducted by the Open University in conjunction with the University of Galway, the University of Liverpool, University College Dublin, Ulster University, and Deakin University in Australia.