'I'll want fast food that minute:' How social media food content influences what kids want to eat

From fast food to junk food, social media ads and influencer content are impacting what kids want to eat, and experts say it's becoming harder for parents to cut through the online noise. 

A new report found that children see more than 4,000 digital food ads a year, with teens seeing double that number, and the vast majority is for unhealthy food. 

Experts who worked on the report published by INFOMAS Canada said social media advertising poses different challenges for parents than traditional television or print advertisements.

"It can be very impactful because if you design an ad that's catchy, you can get kids to share that with their friends," said Monique Potvin Kent, a professor at the University of Ottawa who worked on the report.

The study used Health Canada guidelines to define healthy food, said Potvin Kent, who added that fast food, chocolate, candy and soft drinks were some of the most common items that appeared in social media advertising. 

"Parents don't really know what their kids are seeing when they're online and I think they would be surprised by just the volume of advertising that kids are seeing when they're on their smartphones and tablets," Potvin Kent said.

Impact of influencers

It's not just outright ads that can impact what kids want to eat, but also the food content they see online, including videos of content creators trying new products, making recipes or reviewing fast food restaurants.

"I see a lot of mukbangs," said high school student Emily Munro, referring to videos where the host films themselves eating, oftentimes at home or in their car. The word mukbang combines the Korean words for "eating" and "broadcast."

"You're like, 'Why can't I have that food?,' so you watch other people eat that food for enjoyment and be like, 'One day, I'll eat that,'" Munro said.

Other high school students told CBC News they have tried TrüFrü chocolate-covered fruit, Chick-fil-A fast food and matcha-flavoued drinks because they have watched influencers rave about the products. 

"If there's social media influencers who are supporting certain products, then it's going to be what's 'cool,' then kids are going to want to be seen eating it," said Jessica Ferris, a pediatric registered dietitian in London.

However, some experts warn that not all food content is as genuine as it seems. 

"There's also this sort of hidden method [of advertisement] where these influencers are actually paid by commercial food companies to post about their product," said University of Waterloo professor David Hammond. 

Hammond, who worked with Potvin Kent on two research articles exploring how influencers shape food marketing, said it's challenging for some to recognize influencer content as marketing.

"It is as if you have a friend or someone you care about," Hammond said. "It's less obvious that they're being paid to hold up the product. It feels more authentic, engaging and appealing than a traditional advertisement."

Ferris said it's not just about what kids are consuming on social media themselves, but also what their friends are watching – and friends' parents are buying. 

"With the clients I'm working with, I'm hearing more about what other kids are bringing to school," said Ferris, adding that kids often want their lunch boxes to fit in with everyone else. "[Influencer] Mr. Beast is popular and he's got chocolate bars and other foods, so they're asking for those."

Cutting through the social media noise

Ferris says it's important for parents to start talking to their kids about eating habits early, using a "food-neutral" approach. 

"We don't want to demonize food and talk badly about it, but we can talk about what it offers and the differences," she said.

She recommends parents create their own "family food policy," which is a set of rules that guides the type of food that comes into an individual family's home and how often. She said every family's policy will be different based on dietary restrictions, budget and culture.

Ferris said open conversations about food will help kids make healthier choices as they grow up.

"We can teach them a healthy way to navigate foods while they're still living in our home, so when they're off on their own, they're not feeling restricted and like they need to overindulge in those types of foods because they've never had access to them."