Children exposed to food marketing

Children exposed to food marketing

It is important to limit children’s exposure to marketing because they are particularly vulnerable to marketing techniques.

Children are vulnerable to marketing for the following reasons:

• They are a highly targeted market
  • Many marketing strategies are aimed specifically at capturing children’s attention, such as:
    • Using famous cartoon characters on food products
    • Placing food, beverages or brands in online games or viral videos
    • Offer games or prizes when buying food products and fast food
• They are an accessible audience
  • They watch many ads throughout the day:
    • At school
    • In the sports arenas
    • In stores and shopping malls
    • On electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets
• from their stage of development
  • Children tend to:
    • Be more impulsive
    • You have a strong desire to integrate
    • Prefer instant gratification
    • Be more vulnerable to peer influence
    • They have less ability to understand the purpose of marketing
    • They have less ability to notice when they are being targeted by marketing, especially when viewing new forms of advertising such as those on social media

Benefits of reducing children’s exposure to food marketing

Marketing influences our food preferences and choices. Most of the foods advertised to children are highly processed foods that contribute more sodium, sugars, or saturated fats in their diets.

This poses a risk because children are in a period when they are developing lifelong eating habits. It is important for growth and development that they choose and eat healthy foods.

Parents and caregivers are responsible for many food choices for their children. However, it can be difficult to compete with the ads that their children are exposed to. Creating a food environment in which children are not constantly exposed to marketing can help children make healthy choices.

How to reduce children’s exposure to food marketing

There are many different ways you can limit your children’s exposure to marketing.

Reduce screen time

This includes the amount of time children spend:

• Watch tv
• using electronic devices

These devices contribute greatly to the number of advertisements children see in a day.

Reduce targeting risks for online marketing

Talk to children about limiting the information they disclose online. Tell them how this information can be used to send them targeted advertising. Targeted advertising is part of behavioral advertising.

Think outside the house

Children are exposed to marketing in many places outside of television and the Internet. Their food choices can also be affected by:

• Events held by food and beverage companies in parks, shopping malls or cinemas
• Materials marked by food companies, which are:
  • exhibited in schools
  • Used in classroom lessons

Encourage your children’s school to use classroom materials that don’t advertise highly processed foods and drinks.

educate your children

Remember to educate your children about marketing. Could you:

• Talk to them about marketing
• Teach them how to recognize marketing techniques
• Show them how to choose foods without looking at advertisements, for example, using a food label