Children's Perception of Food Marketing Across Digital Media Platforms

IntroductionExposure to food marketing increases risk of poor diet. Children's perception and interpretation of food marketing across digital media platforms is understudied. Children aged 9-to-11 are uniquely susceptible to food marketing because children may watch content alone and it is unclear if embedded ads are decipherable by children (e.g., social media influencers) and if children are receptive to advertisements.MethodsWe collected data from 21 child-parent dyads in 2022 to fill this gap. Children were interviewed about their food marketing exposure, media use and were asked to share their perspectives on food advertisements. Parents completed a survey for household digital devices, demographics, and perception of their child's food advertising knowledge.ResultsWe found all children generally recognized direct food advertisements, could describe them with varying levels of confidence, and shared examples. Despite self-identifying ads and understanding the intent of advertising, many children are still receptive to advertisements based on engaging content (e.g., liking the ads as entertainment, watching ads even when given the chance to 'skip the ad') and the food items marketed (e.g., liking the taste of foods).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that knowledge of advertisement exposure and intent of advertising are not sufficient to reduce receptiveness of unhealthy food ad exposure. Additional research on the potential effects of embedded ads, such as through social media influencers, is needed to understand children's interaction with the current digital media landscape.