#DigitalYouth: How children and young people are targeted with harmful product marketing online | digitalfuturesforchildren | Zotero

  • * The following excerpt is from the report's summary. Please credit the original authors: Backholer, K. (2024). #DigitalYouth How children and young people are targeted with harmful product marketing online. Deakin University. https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/41153/1/Digital-Youth-brief-Final-2.pdf ** "> Gambling, alcohol and unhealthy food companies are marketing online in ways that target children with advertising for their harmful and addictive products. > Children as young as 8-years old were being bombarded with advertisements (ads) for unhealthy foods – including when they search for scooter tricks on social media and play online games. On average, results suggest that children aged 8 to 13 years old may be targeted with approximately 13 junk foods ads on a typical day they spend online. > Teenagers aged 14 to 17 years old were estimated to see an average of one instance of gambling marketing, 6 alcohol ads and 24 junk food ads, every day. For one teenager, this was as high as 2 gambling ads, 14 alcohol ads and 70 food ads over a typical 2-hour period they spend online. >Teenagers were targeted with a similar amount of advertising for harmful and addictive products as young adults, with young adults aged 18 to 25 estimated to see an average of 2 instances of gambling, 7 alcohol ads and 23 junk food ads every day when online. > Many ads targeted at children and young people were interactive. For example, ads prompted them to ‘install’ a gambling program, to ‘learn more’ about alcoholic drinks, and to ‘shop or order now’ for confectionary and unhealthy takeaway foods – directing children and young people to platforms where they are sold gambling, alcohol and unhealthy food products".