Bright colors, bold fonts, adorable mascots, and catchy jingles are the norm when it comes to junk food marketing tactics, and for one particular reason — they’re designed to captivate younger audiences.
Food and beverage companies spend billions of dollars every year marketing their products to children.1 while hiding the fact that these foods are not only lacking in nutrients but are also loaded with empty calories and harmful additives that lead to adverse health outcomes.
The most disturbing part? These manufacturers no longer need to show food at all in these ads — logos, colors, and branding were enough to trigger overeating in children.
Brand-Only Ads Are Just as Harmful as Ads That Show Food
A randomized controlled trial presented at the European Congress on Obesity investigated how junk food ads influence children’s eating habits even when no actual food is shown. The researchers looked at whether five minutes of exposure to various types of junk food marketing, from brand logos to full product ads, would affect how much children eat during the day.2
• The study participants were composed of school-age youths — The researchers enrolled 240 children between the ages of 7 and 15 from schools in Merseyside, UK. The trial was carefully designed to isolate the impact of food advertising on actual eating behavior.
• They compared food advertising versus non-food advertising — The research zeroed in on high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt (HFSS) food advertising and compared it to non-food advertisements, controlling for the type of media used — from billboards and podcasts to social media and traditional television.
• Here’s how they conducted the experiment — Each participant was exposed to five minutes of HFSS food ads and then, on a different occasion, five minutes of non-food ads. They were then offered different types of snacks, such as grapes or chocolate, as well as lunch featuring savory, sweet, and healthy items. Across both sessions, the team measured how much each child ate afterward.
• So what did the researchers find? The results showed that the children consumed 130.9 more calories in total, equivalent to two slices of bread, on days they were shown junk food ads. Specifically, that included 58.4 extra calories from snacks and 72.5 extra calories from lunch.
• The numbers weren’t influenced by whether the ads showed an actual product or not — In fact, the research showed that brand-only advertising was just as effective as showing the actual food, with no noticeable difference in how much the children ate afterward.
• This effect was consistent regardless of the medium used — Whether the ad was delivered through an animated video, a static billboard, a short audio promo, or a social media post, the result was the same — the children ate more. It didn’t matter which form of media they were exposed to; the branding itself was enough to trigger overeating. This is because the brain associates certain colors, logos, and jingles with food, and it responds accordingly.
“Our findings offer crucial novel information on the extent, nature, and impact of unhealthy food marketing via different types of media on young people's eating behaviour,” Prof. Emma Boyland from the University of Liverpool, who is the study’s lead author, said.
“Even short exposure to marketing of foods high in fat, salt, and sugar can drive excess calorie consumption and potentially weight gain, particularly in young people who are more susceptible to advertising and whose eating patterns influence their lifelong health.”
Your Child’s Current Health Status Also Affects Their Inclination to Overeat
Prior to conducting the study, the researchers also gathered additional data, such as the children’s height and weight, to compute their body mass index (BMI), as well as their socioeconomic background.3
• The featured study revealed a dose-response pattern based on weight — The researchers found that for each standard unit increase in BMI z-score (a metric that adjusts BMI for a child’s age and gender), children consumed an additional 17 kilocalories. Basically, the more overweight a child already was, the more calories they consumed after seeing these ads.
• Junk food marketing adds to the burden of childhood obesity — The research clearly shows that children who are already at higher risk for obesity are more affected by food marketing cues. This means that if your child is already struggling with weight, this kind of exposure doesn’t just add to the problem — it multiplies it.
In an article published in The Guardian, Katharine Jenner, the director of the Obesity Health Alliance, comments that these findings need to send “a clear message to policymakers: food advertising is driving excess calorie intake in children.”4
• The UK is planning to ban junk food ads before 9 p.m. and online — This research proves timely, as the UK is going to ban junk food advertisements from airing before 9 p.m. and online (at any time). This new mandate, which will be implemented by October 2025, is part of the government’s efforts to improve public health and address the soaring obesity levels among children today.5
• Loopholes remain — Jenner notes that while this move to ban ads is a step in the right direction, it does not provide complete protection, as there are still some loopholes. In particular, children will still be exposed to other forms of media, such as billboards or posters on bus stops — and, as the featured research demonstrated, even these subtle forms of media are enough to trigger an effect.
This underscores a central problem — Even well-meaning policies are lagging behind what science already knows. And your kids are paying the price. “If the government is serious about ending junk food advertising to children, they must close the loopholes that will allow companies to keep bombarding them,” Jenner said.6
Childhood Obesity Is at an All-Time High
This research is a clear indication of just how something as unassuming as a logo could be steering your child to make unhealthy eating choices, which puts them at risk of obesity and other chronic diseases. Commenting on the results of the featured study, Dr. Helen Stewart, officer for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said:
“Childhood obesity is stubbornly high, with children in the most deprived areas facing rates more than twice as high as their peers. Paediatricians recognise that tackling this crisis is impossible without also introducing necessary measures such as regulations on the food industry.”7
With millions of children worldwide now struggling with obesity, being vigilant about these hidden triggers all around you will help you protect your child from becoming part of the statistic.
• More than 340 million children and adolescents worldwide are now obese — In the U.S., one in five children and adolescents is obese — To give you a better perspective, the prevalence of obesity among 2- to 19-year-olds is 19.7%; this means 14.7 million children are obese.8
• If you think this goes away once they reach adulthood, think again — Early obesity is strongly predictive of obesity in later life. In fact, 90% of children who are obese at age 3 are still obese in adolescence.9
• Obese children are more likely to have other serious health conditions — Childhood obesity is closely tied to Type 2 diabetes, liver disease, high blood pressure,10 respiratory issues, sleep disorders,11 and premature puberty,12 to name a few. The prevalence of these health problems also increases healthcare costs.
• It’s also tied to mental health challenges — Being obese takes a toll on a child’s emotional health and confidence. They are more prone to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and poor social skills.13 Many overweight children also experience being teased and bullied.
• Childhood obesity also increases the risk of premature death beginning in middle age — A 2020 study published in PLOS Medicine looked at data from 41,359 individuals and found that those who were obese during childhood have a higher risk of mortality in early adulthood.14
The Burden of Ultraprocessed Junk Foods
In addition to their bright and eye-catching advertisements, junk food manufacturers are also using carefully orchestrated flavors, textures, and aromas to make their products as appealing and mouthwatering as possible — even though they are actually nutritionally inferior.
• More than half of the foods most people consume today are ultraprocessed — At least 61% of a typical American’s diet is now composed of these junk foods.15 However, experts believe that in children, this number could be higher — read about it here “Over 70% of Children's Diets Now Consist of Ultraprocessed Foods.”
• Ultraprocessed foods are loaded with many chemicals that do not naturally occur in nature — They use artificial sweeteners, dyes, emulsifiers, and preservatives to prolong their shelf life and make them more “appealing” — a stark contrast to whole foods whose taste and consistency are made by nature and designed to satiate hunger and address your nutritional cravings.
• Ultraprocessed foods are associated with dozens of adverse health outcomes, including premature death — Studies have associated these foods to a higher risk of liver disease,16 cardiovascular illness, and mental health problems,17 to name a few. A recent study published in the BMJ also notes that different varieties of ultraprocessed foods affect your risk of death from all causes over time.18
• Linoleic acid (LA), in the form of seed oils, is the most damaging ingredient in ultraprocessed foods — Almost all junk foods contain vegetable and seed oils, which are high in linoleic acid, a type of polyunsaturated fat (PUF). In excessive amounts, LA acts as a metabolic poison, as it is highly susceptible to oxidation and drives both oxidative and reductive stress that harms your mitochondrial function.19
For an in-depth understanding of how LA wreaks havoc on your health, I recommend reading my research paper published on Nutrients20 or my article “Linoleic Acid — The Most Destructive Ingredient in Your Diet.”
Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits Is the First Step Toward Banishing Junk Food Cravings
If you're trying to protect your child from the long-term health issues that come with ultraprocessed junk foods, you need to first understand what's actually driving their appetite. Junk food ads hijack your child’s natural appetite signals and replace them with branding-based cravings that make them eat more without realizing it. Understanding this invisible influence is key.
Once you know how it works, start reversing its effects by guiding your child to follow healthy eating habits. Here's what I recommend:
1. Clean up your child's diet — Eliminate all processed foods, vegetable oils, and anything made with high amounts of refined carbs and processed sugar. Instead of ordering takeout or dining at restaurants, cook simple meals at home. Use grass fed butter, ghee, or tallow instead of vegetable oils.
Avoid store-bought sauces and packaged snacks that are filled with chemicals. If you’re not sure what's safe, use this rule — If it comes in a box with marketing on the front, don't buy it.
2. If your child is old enough, involve them in the cooking process — Getting them involved will help spark an interest in healthy eating. This will also help them see and understand why healthy, whole foods are superior to packaged junk.
3. Limit daily screen exposure, especially around snack and mealtimes — If your child is watching videos, scrolling social media, or listening to podcasts, it’s likely they’re being exposed to junk food branding, whether they notice it or not.
Cut their screen time, especially before meals, to break the association between viewing and eating. Replace those moments with something active or hands-on. That shift breaks the conditioning loop that tells them, “See a logo, eat food.”
4. Remove branding triggers from your home — Keep your kitchen free from branded packaging. This reduces the subliminal prompts that keep your child reaching for extra calories.
5. Start talking to your child about how ads work — Children are smart and intuitive, and if you educate them right, they’ll understand how marketing tries to manipulate them. Help them build the mental distance they need to see the manipulation and ignore the cue.
6. Create a visible, appealing healthy food zone — Instead of chips, cookies, and candies, prepare snacks like fresh fruit, cut-up veggies, or easy high-protein snacks like hard-boiled eggs or cheese cubes. When the ad-trigger hits, they’ll have healthy munchies to reach for.
7. Be proactive during high-risk exposure times — If your child is going to be on a long car ride where they’ll see billboards, or watching YouTube, prep their healthy snacks in advance. Offer them a balanced meal with enough carbs, protein, and fat so they feel full. This reduces the likelihood that branding cues will push them to snack impulsively. A full stomach plus awareness equals resistance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Junk Food Marketing
Q: How much do junk food ads influence children’s eating habits?
A: Just five minutes of exposure to junk food branding, whether it includes food or not, leads to an average of 130 extra calories consumed by children in a single day. This includes snacks eaten immediately and even larger portions at lunch hours later.
Q: Do ads need to show actual food to cause overeating?
A: No. Research shows that brand-only ads that feature just logos, mascots, or colors are just as effective as ads showing actual food. These visual and audio cues subconsciously trigger the urge to eat, even when no food is pictured.
Q: What types of media were found to trigger overeating in children?
A: All media types tested — TV commercials, social media posts, podcast audio, and static billboards — were equally effective in increasing food intake. The format didn’t matter; the branding alone triggered excess eating.
Q: Are some children more affected by junk food ads than others?
A: Yes. Children with higher BMI scores (those who are already overweight) were found to consume even more calories after seeing junk food ads. This shows that kids already at risk are more vulnerable to the effects of marketing.
Q: Are current regulations enough to protect kids from junk food marketing?
A: Not yet. While upcoming laws in the UK will ban junk food ads on TV before 9 p.m. and online, brand-only advertising in public spaces like bus stops and billboards remains legal, despite its proven impact on overeating.