Children bombarded with unhealthy food ads

Online unhealthy food marketing appears every 4 minutes for Irish children, Safefood reports.

Pervasive exposure: Children see unhealthy food marketing every four minutes online which can impact their health.
Parents unaware: Most parents underestimate the scale and type of digital food marketing their children encounter.

DUBLIN, 24 February – Children and teenagers in Ireland see a significant amount of unhealthy food ads on social media, according to new Safefood research launched today at ‘Games, apps, ads: the impact of digital food marketing' event. The report, Our Kids' Exposure to Unhealthy Food Marketing Online, indicates they see an average of 15 to 19 marketing posts every hour – roughly one every four minutes*. The study, which includes screen capture, aligns with findings from similar studies in Australia, Canada and Mexico.

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. Parents described the findings as worrying and we echo that sentiment – this is worrying.
– Joanne Uí Chrualaoich, Safefood CEO

Joanne Uí Chrualaoich, Safefood CEO, commented: "The research shows for the first time on the island of Ireland the volume of unhealthy food marketing children see online. The study notes the impact of this exposure on their food preferences, purchase requests and ultimately their dietary choices. 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. Parents described the findings as worrying and we echo that sentiment – this is worrying."

The research estimated that a child spending two hours a day on social media is exposed to 10,950 unhealthy food marketing posts annually. For those engaging for 4.5 hours daily, this figure rises significantly to over 30,000 advertisements each year. Almost 96% of the nutrient-profiled foods presented to children in this study did not meet the criteria for marketing to children under WHO guidelines.

The report highlights that children frequently respond to digital food 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 largely immune to the effects of such marketing. After viewing examples of what children see parents said they felt the examples were manipulative, including words like subtle, clever and insidious.

We found it very striking that influencer advertising captures children's attention for 5 times longer than traditional paid ads. Children don't identify this as marketing but rather see it as engaging or fun content from someone that they trust.
– Aileen McGloin, Director of Nutrition, Safefood

The research also reveals that teenagers viewed food marketing posts from influencers for substantially longer than other food content – an average of 15 seconds per post. They also engaged with influencer food marketing posts much more frequently than other food content – 44% of influencer posts compared to 7.5% of paid ads, demonstrating their significant impact.

Aileen McGloin, Director of Nutrition at Safefood, said: "We found it very striking that influencer advertising captures children's attention for 5 times longer than traditional paid ads. 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.”

The research also highlights a significant concern regarding children’s ability to recognise commercial content online. Many young people, including older teenagers struggle to distinguish advertising from general social media content. Even when they label material as an “ad,” they often do not fully interpret it as commercial persuasion. This challenge is particularly evident in influencer and native marketing formats, where advertising is seamlessly integrated into everyday content, blurring the boundaries between entertainment and commercial intent.

McGloin added “Our findings show that children are still widely exposed to online marketing and advertising despite the voluntary code. Digital advertising is now highly sophisticated and many of the methods used are not currently restricted. These results provide an important evidence base that policymakers may wish to consider when evaluating future regulatory approaches.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Deirbhile Brennan
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Heidi Morgan
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Editor’s Note

*This extensive exposure is based on a conservative estimate that includes only paid, owned and influencer marketing.

About the research

The study 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.

This study used the WHO’s CLICK framework to understand the digital food marketing and children’s exposure to it on the island of Ireland.

To comprehend the digital ecosystem, the researchers:

reviewed existing evidence on current knowledge and methods of digital food marketing
described global and island of Ireland digital marketing systems that market food to children
identified children’s digital media practices on the island of Ireland
assessed awareness of and attitudes to digital food marketing among children and parents which involved conducting interviews and focus groups with 175 children aged 4–17 and 49 parents of children aged 4–17 in urban and rural areas around Belfast and Galway

To assess the Landscape of campaigns, the researchers:

reviewed Ireland’s social media marketing landscape, including identifying industry-showcased i.e. industry-described examples of digital food marketing campaigns
analysed the social media campaigns of high-sales food brands
held confidential interviews with 15 advertisers almost all senior executives to gain their insights about digital food marketing and regulation on the island of Ireland

To Investigate exposure and Capture on screen, the researchers:

recorded the screens of 38 children aged 13–17 years on the island of Ireland while they scrolled through social media, thus measuring their actual exposure to this key element of digital food marketing

To inform future Knowledge sharing

Researchers consulted with island of Ireland and international stakeholders regarding the findings and next steps. These participants were representatives from government departments of health; health agencies; and NGOs focusing on health or youth.

The full report is available on Safefood’s website here: Our Kids' Exposure to Unhealthy Food Marketing Online