What Experts Say II

In the journal article “Social Media Influencer Marketing and Children’s Food Intake: A Randomized Trial” by Coates, Hardman, Halford, Christiansen, and Boyland investigates the impact social media has on children’s food intake.

The research highlights negative influence of unhealthy foods advertising on social media platforms. YouTube vloggers and their Instagram pages contribute to this effect. In the study, children from the age of 9 to 11 were shown Instagram pages of popular vloggers. Images of vlogger with junk food, healthy food, and no food at all were shown to three groups. After that, the participants ate snacks. Children who had seen images with unhealthy snacks consumed more calories from junk food as well as more calories in total compared to the other two groups.

The findings suggest that marketing of non-healthy snacks via YouTube vloggers and their Instagram pages immediately increases children’s energy intake. Young people are vulnerable to the influence of social media celebrities due to their popularity blind trust.

Advertising of foods on social media influences children’s meal choices. While the promotion of non-healthy food increases the desire of young adults to eat more of it, the promotion of healthy food seems to have only a little to no impact on the children’s food intake.

References

Coates, A. E., Hardman, C. A. J., Halford C.G., Christiansen, P. & Boyland, E. J. (2019). Social media influencer marketing and children’s food intake: A randomized trial.

Pediatrics, doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-2554