Vast majority of people want Government to implement influencer 'junk food' ban

Kenneth Fox

A vast majority of people want the Government to ban influencer and celebrity-led endorsements of junk food to children online, new data shows.

A total of 79 per cent of respondents to a poll for the Irish Heart Foundation support the measure to prevent kids being bombarded with posts for foods high in sugar, fat and salt.

The Ipsos B&A research found that children in Ireland are exposed to huge levels of unhealthy food marketing, increasingly driven by influencers.

“Teens in Ireland are flooded with influencer content on social media, and they love it – they watch it for five times as long as paid-for ads,” said Professor Mimi Tatlow Golden, lead researcher of the ‘Clickbite’ study into the issue.

“This is a global juggernaut where influencers of all kinds have become the most powerful tool available to unhealthy food brands and parents can’t fully know what is happening.”

She was speaking at a press briefing in advance of a meeting with TDs and Senators to discuss the Irish Heart Foundation’s call for a complete ban on online junk food promotion to under-18s.

This includes targeting influencers on apps such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, which the charity says exposes children to diet-related diseases and potentially lifetime harm.

The Clickbite study in February found that children see at least 15 junk food ads every hour they are online.

“We know that seeing just one single junk food ad will add an average of 30-50 calories to a child’s diet,” said Irish Heart Foundation Director of Advocacy, Chris Macey.

“But it only takes 48-71 calories daily for kids to gain weight over time.

“These extraordinary levels of exposure reveal the devastating impact that junk food marketing is having, and not just in driving high levels of childhood obesity.

“Virtually every child’s health is being compromised by an advertised diet that turns the food pyramid on its head, making unhealthy choices and overconsumption inevitable.”

The Ipsos poll shows 87 per cent believe there is excessive junk food marketing targeting children, with 69% believing the Government is letting youngsters down.

A vast majority (88 per cent) would back State intervention such as subsidies on fruit and vegetables, in addition to a ban (79%) on celebrity/influencer endorsements of unhealthy foods and drinks.

Mr Macey said Governments have been aware of the damage for years.

“In 2018, voluntary online restrictions were introduced that were an utter waste of time. Oireachtas Committees have made strong recommendations that were ignored, and a Programme for Government commitment in 2020 to tackle the problem was broken,” he said.

“We now have conclusive proof of the extent and impact of junk food marketing on our children, which provides Government with a simple decision: protect the health of children or the profits of multinational food corporations.

“There can be no more voluntary codes to provide a pretence of action. Only a full ban on online junk food marketing will work.”

The charity also wants a 9pm watershed on TV junk food ads and the State to stop accepting advertising from big brands at publicly-owned hubs such as bus stops, railway stations and billboards.