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Unhealthy food makers target youth with pervasive ads that fuel long-term health risks, decades of research shows · U.S. Right to Know articles

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/iStock-2192218114.jpg"><img src="https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/iStock-2192218114-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-23989"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The more high-fat, high-sugar, and salty food ads young people see, the more of those products they consume—and the higher the risk that they may develop obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other diet-related diseases. (Credit: LaylaBird)</figcaption></figure>Unhealthy food and beverage companies powerfully undermine the eating habits of young people by deploying ubiquitous ads that encourage poor dietary choices and increase the risk of serious disease and premature death, according to a sweeping new study published in Obesity Reviews.The first-of-its-kind summary highlights a clear cumulative pattern: The more high-fat, high-sugar, and salty food ads young people see, the more of those products they consume—and the higher the risk that they may develop <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11209-weight-control-and-obesity">obesity</a>, <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21501-type-2-diabetes">type 2 diabetes,</a> and other <a href="https://usrtk.org/category/food-related-diseases/">diet-related diseases</a>. Companies also disproportionately target adolescents, lower-income communities, and Black and Latino youth with the marketing of health-harming food and beverages.Teens and young adults are a formative stage of life when they are highly sensitive to reward cues and peers. They are also more likely than other age groups to respond emotionally to brand messaging across advertising platforms that can influence their eating habits, preferences, and long-term health, the authors say.“Stronger regulation of the misleading and ubiquitous marketing of these products targeting young people is urgently needed,” says co-author <a href="https://sph.cuny.edu/about/people/faculty/nicholas-freudenberg/">Nicholas Freudenberg</a>, Distinguished Professor of Public Health at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health in New York.The review summarizes 25 years of scientific evidence and findings from 108 empirical studies and 19 systematic reviews of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40495261/">unhealthy food marketing</a> to adolescents (13-17) and young adults (18-25). It underscores that the ubiquitous and pervasive broadcast of ads and commercials for fast foods, soda, energy drinks, candy, baked goods, and other unhealthy foods and beverages have important cognitive, behavioral, and health influences on young people, the authors say. Key findings include:<li>Increased consumption: More than 90% of studies found that exposure to junk food advertising boosts intake—especially sugary drinks and energy-dense snacks—whether through specific ads, logos, or branding. Even brief exposure can have an effect: One study showed that children who watched just five minutes of food ads ate about 130 more calories that day.</li><li>Brand loyalty starts early: Repeated exposure builds positive emotional associations that cement long-term preferences. Even ads showing just logos can trigger cravings and lead to increased eating. Studies link brand awareness and recognition—key goals of these ads—to higher obesity rates in children.</li><li>Powerful digital marketing:  Social media influencer marketing on platforms like TikTok and Instagram is a growing tactic used to promote unhealthy foods to teens. These ads often appear as peer-to-peer content, making them harder to recognize as advertising. While social media channels continuously evolve, studies show frequent exposure is linked to stronger preferences for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and more positive views of unhealthy brands.</li><li>Overweight and obesity outcomes: Only 19% of studies examined health impacts, but most of those found links between <a href="https://uconnruddcenter.org/research/food-marketing/#f(2)">unhealthy food marketing</a> and higher BMI, weight gain, or increased obesity risk—especially from <a href="https://usrtk.org/ultra-processed-foods/cancer-diabetes-dementia-depression-early-death/">ultra-processed foods</a> and sugary drinks. One U.S. study of more than 2,500 young people found that those most receptive to fast food advertising were significantly more likely to have obesity. Another found that children who could recall more food ads chose more food items and consumed more calories after exposure.</li><h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unhealthy-food-marketing-tactics-contribute-to-health-disparities">Unhealthy food marketing tactics contribute to health disparities</h2>Companies <a href="https://usrtk.org/food-related-diseases/junk-food-target-communities-of-color-increasing-risks-covid-19/">disproportionately target</a> Black and Latinx youth in the U.S. with unhealthy food and beverage marketing—especially through television, billboards, and digital media, the review shows. Lower-income communities are more heavily exposed to health-harming products, often in neighborhoods with fewer healthy food options.“<a href="http://racialized">Racialized</a> and targeted marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages widens already stark differences in diet-related diseases among better-off white people and working class, Black and Brown people,” says Freudenberg. “As rates of chronic disease rise rapidly among younger people, this country needs public policies that reduce the harmful impact of these industry practices.”For example, one national U.S. study found that non-white, lower-income adolescents in households without college-educated parents saw 54% more sugary drink ads than their higher-income, white counterparts. Another study showed Black teens were exposed to at least 50% more ads than white teens of the same age."Generally, being a young person living in a low-income area or household, or being Black or Latinx, was associated with greater exposure to unhealthy food marketing," the authors say, calling the tactics "<a href="https://cunyurbanfoodpolicy.org/resources/report/reducing-predatory-marketing-of-unhealthy-foods-beverages-in-new-york-city/">predatory</a>." "[This] type of marketing may be going beyond simple targeted marketing practices, since it focuses on foods known to harm health and disproportionately advertises them to groups of young people who are already burdened, or at high risk of becoming burdened, by chronic diet-related diseases."<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-policy-gaps-and-health-harming-industry-power">Policy gaps and health-harming industry power</h2>The World Health Organization (WHO) considers unhealthy food marketing a <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/03-07-2023-who-recommends-stronger-policies-to-protect-children-from-the-harmful-impact-of-food-marketing">public health threat</a> and has recommended stronger policies to protect children. The city of London, for example, has <a href="https://londondaily.com/ban-on-junk-food-ads-before-9pm-to-start-in-2025">banned advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages</a> in the subway and bus system, and will ban junk food television ads before 11 p.m., starting in October [2025]. Norway earlier this year also banned the <a href="https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/norway-bans-marketing-of-unhealthy-food-and-drinks-to-children/id3098225/">marketing of unhealthy food and drinks</a> to children. But current research and regulations continue to fall short, especially in the U.S., the review shows. To curb harms and limit unhealthy food marketing to youth, the researchers urge:<li>Expand legal protections to include teens and young adults, not just children under 13, recognizing their continued brain development and high exposure to advertising.</li><li>Push for access to proprietary marketing data, which food companies use to prove advertising effectiveness and show how ads influence consumption and sales—data that could help inform stronger public health policies.</li><li>Regulate emerging digital formats, including influencer promotions and mobile app ads, and improve transparency in digital marketing, especially on social media.</li><li>Track the total daily effect of exposure to marketing across media to better understand its full impact on youth behavior and health.</li>"Given the weight of existing evidence, policymakers should make stringent regulatory actions to mitigate the harmful influence of unhealthy food marketing a priority, particularly for vulnerable populations," the authors write. "[The] time to act on this extensive body of evidence is now."<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reference">Reference</h2>Ilieva RT, Gottlieb N, Christian H, Freudenberg N. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40495261/">Exposure to and impact of unhealthy food marketing on adolescents and young adults: A narrative review and research agenda</a>. Obesity Reviews. Published online June 10, 2025. doi:10.1111/obr.13957