Influencers leaving kids 'hungry and craving junk food'

As the UK’s ad industry launches a new campaign to educate the sector about the incoming Less Healthy Food (LHF) ad restrictions, Britain’s youngsters are still being exposed to a barrage of junk foods from social media influencers, with a stream of content that is leaving them feeling hungry or craving certain foods – or both.

That is the damning conclusion of a new Digital Influence study by Cancer Research UK, which quizzed more than 4,000 young people aged 11 to 21 and unearths “crucial new information” about the unhealthy product marketing they are exposed to online.

It claims to show just how much junk food content today’s young people are seeing, how they are engaging with it, and how it is making them feel.

And, for many, it seems that scrolling through platforms like Instagram or TikTok can feel like falling into an endless buffet of gooey burgers, frothy milkshakes and pillowy desserts.

The report states: “It might seem harmless, even fun, but behind this constant stream of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) content lies a growing public health concern. Being overweight is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK after smoking, and rates of obesity are rising in young people.”

The study shows that more than half (52%) of the young people who took part in the survey said they had seen posts promoting HFSS products on social media in the previous month, from a mix of businesses and influencers.

These posts are popular, as well as common. Nearly 4 in 10 of those who saw the posts said they engaged with them by liking, commenting or sharing. That number was higher for influencer content than it was for brand ads.

As part of the study, 43 young people also took part in focus groups, and 46 used interactive tools to record and reflect on their social media use.

One 15-year-old participant said: “At least every two minutes that I’m on Instagram I see at least one food-related post.” Another, aged only 11, had one post in particular on her mind: “[There] is a giant cookie bowl that also keeps showing up. When I see it, I feel like ordering a dessert and I feel really hungry.”

Cancer Research cites separate studies that have shown simply seeing images of HFSS foods can trigger cravings that can take a lot of effort to resist.

These survey results show that many young people also welcome influencer-led HFSS content as a source of entertainment. Formats like taste tests and mukbangs (Korean for “eating broadcasts”) can feel like conversations or shared experiences.

Some respondents reported that they actively seek out this kind of content, and spoke positively of how it helps them find new products to try.

Some survey respondents even noted how hard it can be to tell if influencer content is marketing; partly because some platforms do not clearly mark promotional content, and partly because influencer posts do not have what one young person called the “corporate advertising look” of posts from businesses.

As a result, it is claimed that many young people simply do not recognise how frequently they are being marketed to, or how it could be shaping their habits and affecting their health.

Those who took part in the study expressed a belief that consuming HFSS foods was more about personal choice than exposure to advertising. One 13-year-old said: “There’s nothing wrong with, like, promoting unhealthy food. The viewers will know if they eat too much. It’s unhealthy, but in moderation, it’ll all be fine.”

Cancer Research UK believes this points to the fact that many people are not fully aware of how the wider environment can influence food choices.

A recent analysis of multiple studies also suggests that young people have difficulties understanding the intention behind advertising, including digital ads. This might make them more vulnerable, especially when ads are designed to engage them the way so much HFSS content does.

The charity maintains that all this goes to show current regulations are simply not doing enough to protect young people online. While some rules exist, they have not kept pace with the way young people experience social media, especially when it comes to influencer marketing, the organisation reckons.

Cancer Research revention policy manager Liv Cheek said: “Advertising can shape what children eat, so the Government must help create an online environment that empowers, rather than undermines, healthy changes.”

While the new LHF legislation will ban paid-for online advertising of specific HFSS products and introduce a 9pm TV watershed for junk food ads, the charity claims that without strong enforcement and adequate funding for regulators, loopholes could limit the legislation’s impact.

The charity argues that the Government’s 10-year health plan aims to shift the NHS from a “sickness service to a health service” by focusing on prevention, but insists that will only be possible with bold action to protect young people from harmful marketing.

Cheek added: “Planned restrictions on junk food advertising online are a vital step to protect young people’s health. However, these measures must be properly enforced and strengthened by closing any remaining gaps in the online marketing rules.

“We urge the Government and regulators to take bold action to shield young people from harmful marketing that could increase their risk of obesity and cancer in the future.”

Picture credit: Wife Swap ‘King Curtis’ ABC