Marketing to Kids

RWJF Priority: Reduce youths’ exposure to the marketing of unhealthy foods through regulation, policy, and effective industry self-regulation

Unhealthy foods and beverages are heavily marketed to children, and research shows that exposure to food marketing messages increases children’s obesity risk. Food and beverage companies also target African-American and Latino children with more advertising and for products that are less healthy. Some studies suggest that marketing restrictions are among the most powerful and cost-effective interventions available.

The resources below, from RWJF grantees and partners, explore how food and beverage marketing affects children’s food preferences and their risk for obesity.

Childhood Obesity Policy Priorities

Health policy snapshot

What Does Mobile and Digital Marketing Have to do with Childhood Obesity?

Digital technology is transforming how food and beverage companies market their products to young people, particularly African-American and Hispanic youths.

Read the brief

From Healthy Eating Research

Food and Beverage Marketing to Children and Adolescents

This review finds that self-regulation by the food and beverage industry is not likely to reduce marketing of unhealthy foods to children and adolescents significantly.

Read the review

From Bridging the Gap

Child-Directed Marketing Within and Around Fast-Food Restaurants

The fast-food industry spends $660 million a year to market its products to youth and indoor displays for kids’ meals toys are the most prevalent child-directed marketing strategy they use.

Read the brief

From the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity

Cereal FACTS 2012

Cereal companies have improved the nutritional quality of most cereals marketed directly to children, but they have increased advertising to children for many of their least nutritious products.

Read the report

From the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity

Fast Food FACTS

Children as young as age 2 are seeing more fast food ads than ever before, and restaurants rarely offer parents the healthy kids’ meal choices.

Read the report

On The Run: How Families Struggle To Eat Well And Exercise

On the Run: Challenges and Solutions

A poll reveals that many parents face a variety of barriers to helping their children lead healthy lives, especially during the "crunch time" from 3 p.m. to bedtime.

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More Research and Resources on Marketing to Kids

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Childhood Obesity Program Area

RWJF is committed to tackling one of the most urgent threats to the health of our children and families—childhood obesity. Our goal is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

Association Between District and State Policies and U.S. Public Elementary School Competitive Food and Beverage Environments

June 10, 2013 | Journal Article

This study examines the association between district and state policy requirements regarding availability in public elementary schools of competitive food and beverages, including high-fat and high-sugar snacks, drinks, and salty snacks.

Nutritional Quality at Eight U.S. Fast-Food Chains

June 1, 2013 | Journal Article

This study looked at the nutritional quality of menu offerings at eight fast-food restaurant chains over 14 years.

Energy Drinks: An Emerging Public Health Hazard for Youth

May 4, 2013 | Journal Article

Better labeling and more stringent regulation are warranted for energy drinks.

Food Marketing to Children on U.S. Spanish-Language Television

May 2, 2013 | Journal Article

More than 84 percent of all foods and beverages advertised to children on Spanish-language television shows are unhealthy, as compared to nearly 73 on English-language television.

Redefining "Child-Directed Advertising" to Reduce Unhealthy Television Food Advertising to Children

March 12, 2013 | Journal Article

Food and beverage companies have pledged to reduce unhealthy marketing to children through the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), but their pledges only apply to certain types of marketing.

School District Wellness Policies

February 28, 2013 | Report

A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Bridging the Gap program finds that progress to improve school district wellness policies has stalled.

Child-Directed Marketing Within and Around Fast-Food Restaurants

December 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

The fast-food industry spends $660 million to market its products to children and adolescents each year and spends the most on toys for kids’ meals—$360 million for the cost of toys alone. These efforts help fast-food restaurants sell more than 1.2 ...

Food Marketing to Children and Adolescents

October 29, 2012 | Report

Parents’ concerns about food marketing and other negative influences on their children’s eating habits appear to be increasing.

Sports Participation in Secondary Schools

October 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

Participating in school sports is an important means to increase physical activity among adolescents. This brief examines participation during the school year by secondary school students in interscholastic sports (played against teams from other sc ...

Zoning for Healthy Food Access Varies by Community Income

April 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

Zoning and land use laws allow or prohibit different types of food outlets, such as supermarkets, farmers’ markets, fast-food restaurants, and convenience stores, in a community. As such, these laws affect people’s access to healthy affordable foods ...