Marketing

Policies that restrict marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children—based on content, timing, medium, and/or location—can reduce the purchase and consumption of those products. Food and beverage marketing is widespread, requiring assessments of exposure across multiple marketing platforms, including digital and social media. The U.S. does not currently regulate food and beverage marketing to children.  Monitoring children’s exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising is crucial in determining whether voluntary self-regulatory initiatives, such as the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), can effectively protect children from exposure to marketing of unhealthy products.

Study Summaries


Evaluation of Children’s Exposure to Unhealthy Food and Beverage Marketing on Digital Media Platforms in the U.S.

Policy Effective Date: No policy in place, data collected from November 2024 to October 2025
Purpose: To understand the extent of children’s exposure to food and beverage digital marketing while using a smart device, including the types of advertisements seen and differences across various social media platforms.
Methods: Researchers used online surveys with children and parents to collect demographic and behavioral data, and recorded real-time screen activity on children’s devices to measure exposure to food and beverage marketing.
Location: United States
Research Leads: University of Illinois Chicago


Evaluation of Children’s and Adolescents’ Exposure to Food and Beverage Advertising on Television

Policy Effective Date: Ongoing self-regulatory policy assessed 2013 to 2022
Purpose: To understand how much food and beverage advertising children and adolescents see on television, how much of that advertising is for unhealthy products, and how these trends have changed over time.
Methods: Researchers obtained television ratings data from 2013-2022 and assessed the extent of exposure and nutritional content of advertised food and beverage products seen by children before and after changes to the industry-led Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) in 2014 and 2020. Revisions to the CFBAI included changes to nutrition criteria and the definition of child-directed programming.
Location: United States
Research Leads: University of Illinois Chicago and University of Connecticut


Evaluation of Food and Beverage Marketing on Social Media Based on Participants’ Donated Data

Policy Effective Date: No policy in place, data collected from August 2024
Purpose: To understand how much food and beverage marketing adults are exposed to on social media.
Methods: Researchers obtained data donated by Facebook and Instagram users on the advertisements, posts, and videos to which they were exposed. Researchers assessed the extent of exposure and the nutritional content of food and beverages marketed.
Location: United States
Research Leads: NORC at the University of Chicago, and University of Illinois Chicago