Children today may be the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents. 40% of the calories that children take in are empty calories, and they are consumed most often in foods like desserts, pizza, fruit drinks and soda. In fact, 60% of children eat too little fruit and a whopping 95% eat too few vegetables. Many manufacturers of “kids’ foods” argue that they are providing convenient options for parents, but consider the long-term effects of an unhealthy diet.

Today, one out of every three children is affected by excess weight or obesity. These children are more likely to continue living with obesity as adults. Type 2 diabetes was once “adult onset” diabetes because it never occurred in children, but this is not an appropriate title today. According to a recent study, 23 percent of adolescents had prediabetes or diabetes in 2007 to 2008, compared with just 9 percent in 1999 to 2000. There are other serious life-long consequences to consuming a poor diet as a child. These include heart disease, cancer, strokes and arthritis. (as they age.) Proper nutrition in childhood is necessary during a time of critical growth, and a poor diet can have negative outcomes, whether a child has excess weight or not. What does this have to do with food marketing?

Getting kids to eat healthy is much tougher than just saying “no” to junk food. Today’s food environment makes it very difficult to feed children healthily. Unhealthy food is everywhere, it’s easy to get, and it’s quick and often costs less than healthy food. So-called “kids’ foods” have poor nutritional quality – they are especially high in added sugar. The most harmful feature of the food environment may be how these foods are marketed to children. This is a major public health concern. Food marketing is everywhere. It’s powerful, and it’s effective. It’s particularly effective for children and teens, who are a much more vulnerable audience.

The food industry spent a total of 15 billion dollars in 2014 on all food, beverage and restaurant marketing in the United States. To provide a means of comparison, in the same year, the National Institutes of Health spent 12.5 billion on cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension and prevention research combined. The food industry spent $1.8 billion in 2009 on marketing aimed specifically at children. Most of what the industry spends on food marketing to youth promotes unhealthy foods and drinks.

Sugary drinks and cereals, candy, sweet and salty snacks and fast food makeup 91% of spending dollars. On television alone children see about 13 food ads every single day, and teens see about 16. Nine of out 10 of these ads are for products high in salt, sugar and fat. Only one of these 10 food ads are for fruits and vegetables. There is simply no competition. 

Food marketing reaches far beyond television advertising. Companies market to children in the communities where they live. They market to children in their schools. They are also turning to digital media to get their attention.

Children now spend most of their time in the digital media space, interacting with their peers, out of sight of their parents. Companies know this and market to children anywhere and everywhere they spend their time. A 2009 report showed that 11 to 14-year-olds spent about one hour and 46 minutes online every day. Nearly every food brand that markets food products to children has a Website designed just for them.

These sites are full of games, virtual worlds and other clever interactive activities. They are highly engaging and very hard to resist for a child. Children spend time on other types of Web sites as well, such as “coolmath-games.com.” Here, they are bombarded by banner advertisements on the top or sides of the page as they play games for free. These ads compete for their attention.

Why is it such a big deal that young people see unhealthy food marketing? Food marketing has a direct, powerful impact on young people’s food preferences. It affects eating behaviors and influences diet, weight, and health in many negative ways. 

Watching food ads makes children eat more. It makes them prefer and ask for the foods they see – sugary drinks and fast food.

The Institute of Medicine, World Health Organization, and others agree that food marketing works. Messages in food advertising encourage youth to pester their parents and snack between meals. They create positive emotional associations with the brands that can harm their health. Food marketers spend a great deal of money and effort appealing to children in very powerful ways. These ways are difficult to resist; making products appear cool, fun and exciting.

What can parents do?

Initiate a conversation with children and tell them what marketers are trying to do when they advertise. When your child pesters you for an advertised food, explain why you don’t want to buy it. Explain how the advertiser has spent a great deal of money trying to convince them that they must have this food.

Try to limit the amount of time your child is using a TV, computer, phone and other devices that have the ability to promote advertisements. Find out how much food marketing your child sees in school. Nearly 70% of elementary and middle school students encounter some form of food-related marketing in school. Marketers see schools as an opportunity to get easy access to children and a captive audience.

There are ways to make a difference in school. There are healthy fundraisers, such as fruit baskets, “walk-a-thon” type fundraisers and talent shows. Change on a larger scale. We have enormous power as consumers. If we demand that companies market healthier foods to kids, food marketers will have to listen.

If we refuse to spend our hard-earned money on unhealthy products, food marketers will have to listen. Public health officials, advocates, policy makers and legislators will continue to work hard to combat the toxic food environment. If consumers join the fight, there is no limit to the positive change we can make for children.

Whenever my mom would drive past a McDonald’s I would beg for her to take me just to play in their indoor playground and I loved it, then we would end up buying food because we were already there. Now I think of it as a horrible way to market fast foods to children.