Research shows junk food is being promoted online to appeal to children and target young men

The Australian government has been investigating whether we should ban online advertising for unhealthy food, and how that might work. In the UK, a ban on advertising for unhealthy food and drinks online starts in October 2025.

We recently used the australian advertising observatory to investigate targeted junk food ads on Facebook in Australia. Our study finds that unhealthy food and drink are promoted in ways that are intended to appeal to parents and caregivers of children, and children themselves. In addition, young men in our study were targeted by fast food advertisements.

Children, young people and parents should be aware of the strategies used by online advertisers to normalize unhealthy eating patternsWe should all have a healthier digital environment.

Our work supports the ongoing calls for a ban on online junk food advertising.

What did we see in the advertisements?

The Australian Advertising Observatory has created the world’s largest known collection of the targeted ads people see on Facebook. Our 1,909 volunteers have donated 328,107 unique ads from their social media feeds. This gives researchers an unprecedented opportunity to investigate what ads Australians see on social media and how they are targeted.

We searched the database for ads promoting the best-selling unhealthy food and drink brands. These are “discretionary” or “sometimes” foods that are often high in fat and sugar. They include fast food meals, confectionery, sugary drinks and snacks. (To identify categories of unhealthy food and drink, we used government guidelines for healthy food and drinks.)

We also looked at online delivery companies because of their popularity on digital platforms. They are likely to play a role in promote unhealthy food.

We found nearly 2,000 unique ads from 141 separate advertisers that were viewed approximately 6,000 times by individuals. Ads for fast food brands made up half of the unhealthy food ad observations in our study.

Fast food giants KFC and McDonald’s together accounted for around 25% of all unhealthy food ad observations. Snack and candy brands, such as Cadbury, featured in a third of ad observations. Soft drink brands such as Coca-Cola were promoted in 11% of observations.

About 9% of the ads promoted online food delivery services, and typically promoted fast food options. Other advertisers that we might not consider junk food brands, such as Coles supermarkets and 7-Eleven supermarkets, also regularly promoted junk food.

The power of junk food

Children’s vulnerability to junk food advertising is well established. Children’s exposure to food marketing is associated with what kind of food they prefer and ask their parents to buy. When they develop preferences for unhealthy foods, it contributes to unhealthy habits and related health problems.

But it’s not just children who are susceptible to unhealthy food marketing. Junk food advertising is also shapes food norms and attitudes of young people aged 18 to 24.

Our online experiences and digital technologies in general can have an impact on our health. These are known as “digital determinants of health“.

Food advertisers use the vast amounts of data collected about individuals to target specific audiences. They can seamlessly integrate advertising into everyday life.

Our research shows that junk food advertising is disproportionately served to young people, particularly young men. Young men see a much higher proportion of fast food ads (71%) compared to the overall sample (50%), suggesting that fast food is presented more aggressively to them. Many ads promoted special “app-only” deals, including free delivery, particularly for fast food.

The ‘halo effect’

We also found examples of ads targeting busy parents, portraying fast food as something that saves parents time, calms children and feeds families.

Although Facebook accounts are only accessible to those 13 and older, junk food ads still use child-oriented themes, such as characters and games. Many appear to be designed to appeal directly to children. This has included ads promoting “healthy” foods, such as vegetables, in kids’ meals.

The most insidious marketing tactics we found connect junk food, and the brands synonymous with junk food, with healthy or popular activities. This creates a “halo effect.”

For example, many advertisements use “sports-washing” to associate unhealthy foods with healthy sports activities or enjoyable spectator sports. Sports in junk food marketing can appeal to a wide audience, including young people.

While not all of these sports-related ads directly promoted or featured unhealthy food products, the sport was at the center of the ads with strong brand-specific elements, helping to forge the connection.

Other ads used “mental health cleansing,” including ads for chocolate bars, packaged snacks, or fast food to promote community mental health organizations.

Advertising for unhealthy food should be banned

Last week a Parliamentary inquiry into diabetes in Australia repeated calls on the government to restrict marketing and advertising of unhealthy foods aimed at children on television, radio, in games and online.

The federal government should soon publish its report on how to best limit unhealthy food marketing to children. Us study supports the government’s proposal to ban all online advertising for unhealthy food and drinks.

The proposed ban should not only apply to unhealthy foods themselves, but also to any mention of the brands that are synonymous with those foods. This is because mentioning those brands immediately brings such foods to mind.

We also recommend the government should include all types of promotions. This includes advertisements from online delivery services, supermarkets and sports clubs that cross-promote unhealthy foods.

Many are concerned about the impact of social media and algorithmic content feeds on children and young people. Our study highlights that food and drink advertising targeting children, young people and harried parents can also create an unhealthy digital environment.

This article has been republished from The conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.