Digital Food Marketing to Kids

Policymakers and advocates should work together to promote regulations that protect children from targeted food and beverage marketing

Children have increased access to digital devices and spend significantly more time on them than they did seven years ago. In 2022, nearly 95 percent of teens had access to a smartphone, and the proportion of teens who said they are almost constantly online nearly doubled to 46 percent compared to 2014-15. The growth of online platforms and digital devices has led many food and beverage companies to invest increasingly in online advertisements. Innovative digital ad techniques, such as influencer marketing, on social media platforms are unlike traditional forms of advertisements on television and can be particularly hard for children to identify and understand. Many food and beverage advertisements online depict unhealthy food, and these ads can increase children's requests for and selection of unhealthy foods. Policymakers and advocates should work together to promote regulations that protect children from targeted food and beverage marketing.

For more information, please contact the Center for Science in the Public Interest at policy@cspinet.org.