Social media increases popularity of fast food, promoting unhealthy diets and obesity: study
A new study has revealed that social media platforms are promoting unhealthy eating habits by promoting fast food and sugary drinks, especially among the youth.
in short
- Social media heavily promotes fast food and sugary beverages
- Male users engaged with these posts at a higher rate than female users
- Researchers urge policies to protect young users from exposure to unhealthy food content online
Obesity is a health problem affecting people around the world, no matter their age. The spaces and circumstances around us that influence what we eat, including social settings, prices, and policies, play a large role in obesity and other diet-related health problems.
Marketing of food and beverages exacerbates this problem, as most advertising focuses on foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, encouraging people to consume these products.
A recent study highlights that the overwhelming amount of social media content promotes fast food and sugary beverages. The researchers said this suggests that these platforms are contributing to the normalization of unhealthy eating, especially among younger audiences.
Published in PLOS Digital Health, the study led by Monique Potvin Kent of the University of Ottawa analyzed user-generated social media posts on platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr and YouTube in Canada during 2020.
The researchers focused on mentions of 40 leading food and beverage brands, finding that these brands were mentioned more than 16.8 million times, with an estimated reach of 42 billion views globally.
According to the analysis, fast food restaurants made up 60.5% of the posts and had 58.1% of the reach, while sugar-sweetened beverages were responsible for 29.3% of the posts and about 38% of the reach.
Male users engaged with these posts at a higher rate than female users. Although the study did not break down mentions by age, previous research has shown that young people are significant users of social media and are highly exposed to content related to these unhealthy food categories.
The authors argued that given young users’ heavy engagement with social media, digital spaces may shape dietary habits in a way that encourages greater consumption of fast food and sugary drinks, which already Are linked to obesity and other health issues.
Kent and his team have called for public health policies aimed at reducing youth exposure to such marketing, stating that this study “provides new evidence for safety in digital food environments to protect vulnerable youth from the normalization of unhealthy diets.” “Supports the need for measures.”
As the influence of digital spaces on youth’s dietary behavior increases, the study’s findings present a strong case for urgent policies to protect youth from potentially harmful content.
