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Cancer charity finds children 'more likely to engage with junk food posts from influencers'

Cancer charity finds children 'more likely to engage with junk food posts from influencers'

Daily Record5 hours ago
We are guilty of exposing our kids to social media but it could be having a huge impact on their diet
We are all guilty of treating our kids to a cheeky McDonald's or bringing our niece or nephew to the KFC drive-thru. We are also guilty of letting our young people scroll social media, and perhaps engage with top influencers.

So, what if the two things combined, and youngsters were actually more likely to engage with junk food posts shared by social media personalities?

Well, apparently that it what is happening, according to Cancer Research UK, who say children and teenagers are being bombarded with videos and pictures of unhealthy food online, the leading charity's polling suggests.

And youngsters are more likely to engage with content about junk food if it is shared by influencers, they added.
The charity surveyed 4,000 children and young people aged 11 to 21 across the UK and some reported that seeing content about food high in fat, salt and sugar made them feel tempted or hungry.
"A giant cookie bowl keeps showing up, when I see it, I feel like ordering a dessert and I feel really hungry," an 11-year-old told the charity.
A 15-year-old added that "at least every two minutes that I'm on Instagram I'd see at least one food-related post".
What's more, 52 per cent saw unhealthy food and drink products from either businesses or influencers on social media in the last month, while almost four in 10 said they engaged with these posts by commenting, liking or sharing. They were also more likely to interact with a post from an influencer compared to a business.

Cancer Research UK said that ministers must do more to protect young people from "harmful marketing that could increase their risk of obesity and cancer in the future".
New laws, which come into force next year, will end paid-for advertising, including online, of specific foods which are high in fat, sugar and salt.
The charity said that it is important for the implementation of the legislation to go ahead as planned after repeated delays.

And it warned that not all exposure to junk food will end when the new laws come into place as there will still be online advertising loopholes.
Liv Cheek, prevention policy manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "Being overweight or obese is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK after smoking, and rates among young people are rising.

"Advertising can shape what children eat, so the UK Government must help create an online environment that empowers, rather than undermines, healthy changes.
"Planned restrictions on junk food advertising online are a vital step to protect young people's health. These measures must be properly enforced and strengthened by closing any remaining gaps in the online marketing rules."
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A Government spokesperson said: "Obesity robs children of the best start in life and sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, which costs the NHS billions.
"The junk food advertising restrictions on TV and online are a crucial part of our Plan for Change to raise the healthiest generation of children ever."
The Government claims that by reducing children's exposure to junk food advertising, they will remove "up to 7.2 billion calories from UK children's diets each year and deliver around £2 billion in health benefits."
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'I was in a coma for two weeks - I was screaming in my head but couldn't wake up'

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Junk food flooding young people's social media feeds, says study
Junk food flooding young people's social media feeds, says study

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Junk food flooding young people's social media feeds, says study

Scrolling through social media with the images of burgers, milkshakes and sweets can often make people hungry, but does it have a negative effect as well? A health charity is warning that the constant stream of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) content is a big health concern. A poll by Cancer Research UK suggests that children and teenagers are often exposed to unhealthy food content online, with young people interacting more with the content when it is shared by charity is calling on the government to do more to protect children and young people from "harmful marketing". The charity surveyed more than 4,000 young people aged 11 to found around half saw unhealthy food or drink products on social media posted by businesses or influencers in the last four in ten (39%) said they interacted with these posts by liking, commenting or number was higher for influencer content than it was for adverts from part of the study, 43 young people also took part in discussions around the topic and reported that seeing certain foods would make them particularly hungry."At least every two minutes that I'm on Instagram I'd see at least one food-related post," said one 15-year-old participant. Another, aged 11, said:"[There] is a giant cookie bowl that also keeps showing up," she said. "When I see it, I feel like ordering a dessert and I feel really hungry." High saturated fat, sugary and salty foods (such as cakes, biscuits, chocolate, crisps) can be eaten occasionally. The problem is eating too much of these foods can have big health impacts. The charity says that eating too much of these foods increases the likelihood of children becoming overweight which can lead to further health problems. In January 2026, new laws are to be bought in by the government to ban paid-for online advertising of specific high in fat, salt and sugar products, including on social media, alongside new rules for junk food ads on TV. Cancer Research UK says these changes have already faced delays."Advertising can shape what children eat, so the UK Government must help create an online environment that empowers, rather than undermines, healthy changes," Liv Cheek, prevention policy manager for the charity said.

Cancer charity finds children 'more likely to engage with junk food posts from influencers'
Cancer charity finds children 'more likely to engage with junk food posts from influencers'

Daily Record

time5 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Cancer charity finds children 'more likely to engage with junk food posts from influencers'

We are guilty of exposing our kids to social media but it could be having a huge impact on their diet We are all guilty of treating our kids to a cheeky McDonald's or bringing our niece or nephew to the KFC drive-thru. We are also guilty of letting our young people scroll social media, and perhaps engage with top influencers. ‌ So, what if the two things combined, and youngsters were actually more likely to engage with junk food posts shared by social media personalities? ‌ Well, apparently that it what is happening, according to Cancer Research UK, who say children and teenagers are being bombarded with videos and pictures of unhealthy food online, the leading charity's polling suggests. ‌ And youngsters are more likely to engage with content about junk food if it is shared by influencers, they added. The charity surveyed 4,000 children and young people aged 11 to 21 across the UK and some reported that seeing content about food high in fat, salt and sugar made them feel tempted or hungry. "A giant cookie bowl keeps showing up, when I see it, I feel like ordering a dessert and I feel really hungry," an 11-year-old told the charity. A 15-year-old added that "at least every two minutes that I'm on Instagram I'd see at least one food-related post". What's more, 52 per cent saw unhealthy food and drink products from either businesses or influencers on social media in the last month, while almost four in 10 said they engaged with these posts by commenting, liking or sharing. They were also more likely to interact with a post from an influencer compared to a business. ‌ Cancer Research UK said that ministers must do more to protect young people from "harmful marketing that could increase their risk of obesity and cancer in the future". New laws, which come into force next year, will end paid-for advertising, including online, of specific foods which are high in fat, sugar and salt. The charity said that it is important for the implementation of the legislation to go ahead as planned after repeated delays. ‌ And it warned that not all exposure to junk food will end when the new laws come into place as there will still be online advertising loopholes. Liv Cheek, prevention policy manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "Being overweight or obese is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK after smoking, and rates among young people are rising. ‌ "Advertising can shape what children eat, so the UK Government must help create an online environment that empowers, rather than undermines, healthy changes. "Planned restrictions on junk food advertising online are a vital step to protect young people's health. These measures must be properly enforced and strengthened by closing any remaining gaps in the online marketing rules." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. ‌ A Government spokesperson said: "Obesity robs children of the best start in life and sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, which costs the NHS billions. "The junk food advertising restrictions on TV and online are a crucial part of our Plan for Change to raise the healthiest generation of children ever." The Government claims that by reducing children's exposure to junk food advertising, they will remove "up to 7.2 billion calories from UK children's diets each year and deliver around £2 billion in health benefits."

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