In the digital era, children are faced with a barrage of marketing messages that can be hard to avoid. From pop-up ads on websites to product placements in video games and mobile apps, marketers have evolved ways of getting their products in front of young people and it starts even before they turn on a TV or visit an app store. As soon as you go outside they will see an ad on a bus stop, products of a supermarket shelf, or trash in the street, it’s all marketing!
As a result, it is increasingly difficult for any of us to monitor what marketing our kids see, and protect them from advertisements they aren’t old enough or developed enough to understand.
Food marketers are experts at figuring out how to make you buy more of their product, and they focus on kids because studies show that children are way more likely to try new foods if they see them in a commercial or on TV, and we have all given in to our kid’s pester power to get through a grocery shop without any hassle.
Children see higher than 50% more advertisements than adults do each year, mostly from companies targeting them specifically with the goal of getting them hooked on unhealthy food early in life. With fewer than 20% of children ages 2 to 11 managing to identify at least one healthy food when shown pictures of unlabeled healthy and unhealthy foods; their strategies are working!
The food industry is one of the most lucrative industries in America, with an annual revenue exceeding $1 trillion. This includes all sectors from manufacturing to retailing to distribution to food service. It’s no wonder that companies are investing more and more time and money into understanding how consumers make their choices about what they eat—and now they have a lot of new ways to do it.
In order to reach us with ads for processed foods that are often high in sugar, salt or fat, they’ve been using data from the web to try to figure out who we are and what will tempt us. They do this by tracking things like how long we spend on certain websites or which types of content we click on most frequently. These marketing techniques aren’t new but now that more people than ever before are going online every day – especially children – these tactics pose an even greater risk, because there’s no way for parents to control what kids see.
Digital technologies have opened up a whole new world for tracking consumer behavior online and beyond, giving food marketers unprecedented access to information about customers’ eating habits, shopping preferences, health concerns, demographics, location data—the list goes on. The result? A “tailored-to-order” approach that has changed the face of the entire industry.
The good news is that although kids are exposed to advertisements and marketing messages more than ever before. They are internet natives, having grown up with it their entire lives, so they’re also uniquely equipped to understand and resist them. Let’s explore how we can help kids make healthier decisions about what they eat.
- Combat the food marketers by talking to your children about healthy eating, and why some foods are good for them and others not so much, in a way that is fun and engaging.
- Teach your kids how to be critical about what digital content is. For example, you could do this by teaching them that advertisements aren’t always true or helpful, but companies need money so sometimes they pay influencers to promote their product.
- Show your child why you don’t click on ads or links to articles you don’t want to read.
- Find out what your child spends time doing online, and if it involves games or apps, make sure they know the rules: no sharing of personal info, no clicking on any suspicious links or ads, and no accepting anything that asks for credit card numbers or other personal information.
How Food Marketers Target Kids — And What Parents Can Do About It
In today’s digital age, children are surrounded by marketing messages almost everywhere they look. From pop-up ads on websites to product placements in video games and mobile apps, advertisers have mastered the art of capturing kids’ attention. The influence starts long before they even turn on a TV or computer. A walk down the street, a trip to the grocery store, even a glance at a bus stop ad—all of it is marketing.
The Invisible Influence of Food Marketing
Monitoring what marketing messages children are exposed to has become nearly impossible. And yet, protecting them from advertisements they may not fully understand is more important than ever.
Food marketers are especially skilled at shaping consumer behavior—and children are one of their biggest targets. Studies show that kids are far more likely to try a new food if they’ve seen it advertised, whether on TV or online. Many parents have experienced this firsthand: the inevitable “pester power” that turns grocery shopping into a negotiation.
Children see over 50% more advertisements than adults each year, much of it designed specifically for them. These ads often promote foods high in sugar, salt, and fat, helping to form lifelong eating habits. Shockingly, fewer than 20% of children aged 2 to 11 can correctly identify even one healthy food when shown pictures of labeled and unlabeled foods. Clearly, the marketing strategies are working.
The Billion-Dollar Industry Behind the Screens
The U.S. food industry is one of the most profitable sectors in the world, generating more than $1 trillion annually. With that kind of money on the line, companies invest heavily in understanding what drives our food choices—and digital technology has taken this to a whole new level.
By tracking browsing habits, clicks, and even time spent on specific pages, marketers can build detailed profiles of consumers, including children. These profiles help them deliver highly targeted ads designed to tempt each user with personalized offers.
What used to be a billboard or a TV jingle has now evolved into a “tailored-to-order” marketing strategy powered by algorithms and data analytics. And because kids spend more time online than ever before, they are increasingly vulnerable to these tactics.
Helping Kids Build Digital and Nutritional Literacy
Despite this overwhelming exposure, there’s a silver lining: today’s kids are digital natives. They’ve grown up online and are uniquely equipped to learn how to recognise—and resist—advertising tricks. Parents and caregivers can play a vital role in empowering them.
Here are some simple, practical ways to start:
- Talk About Healthy Eating
Make conversations about food fun and engaging. Help your child understand why certain foods are good for their bodies and others should be enjoyed in moderation. - Teach Media Literacy Early
Explain how digital content works. Show them that not everything online is true and that influencers and companies often get paid to promote products. - Model Smart Online Behavior
Demonstrate why you don’t click on random ads or suspicious links. Kids learn more from what we do than what we say. - Stay Involved in Their Online World
Know which games, apps, or websites your child uses. Set clear rules: no sharing personal information, no clicking on unfamiliar ads, and never giving out payment details.
The Bottom Line
Kids today are growing up in a world filled with marketing—much of it designed to influence their choices before they even realize it. But with awareness, open communication, and a bit of digital guidance, parents can help their children build the skills they need to make healthy, informed decisions about what they eat—and what they believe.