Under the influencers: teens spoon-fed loads of junk food on social media

Social media influencers are touting more than 13 junk food and drink products an hour to teenagers in Germany, a new study warns. The numbers in SA have not been researched.

Social media also has clout in SA, where more than 12-million users are attracted to the popular teen platforms of TikTok and Instagram, and YouTube has 25-million users, dataportal’s Digital 2022 report on SA shows.

The most common products German influencers are promoting, sometimes several in a post, are chocolate, sweets and other unhealthy foods and beverages — the majority not clearly flagged as adverts.

The World Health Organisation would fail “most of the food and drink content” that influencers market, based on its advertising standards for children, said researchers Dr Maria Wakolbinger and Dr Eva Winzer from the Medical University of Vienna at this year’s European Congress on Obesity which ended on Saturday.

Three quarters of the featured foods and drinks were unhealthy and only 17% were permitted, according to the WHO’s nutrient profile model. Eight percent could not be determined. Nine percent of the posts were about ready-made convenience foods.

The Association for Dietetics in SA spokesperson, registered dietitian Nathalie Mat, said she was not surprised that influencers posted about unhealthy items.

“What we see online does not represent total intake (of food/drink). There may be a lot of ‘very boring’ healthy stuff off camera. Influencers may also overstate their intake or oversell products to make a brand happy with their advertising efforts,” said Mat.

“Until such time as ‘big vegetable’ or ‘big fruit’ start paying influencers to talk about how much they love fresh produce, it’s highly unlikely that we will see younger influencers talking about balanced eating with much zest.”

How can we expect our children to eat healthily when content on social media is skewed to promote foods high in fat, salt and sugar?

—  Researcher Dr Maria Wakolbinger

She said: “Sharing that they’re drinking water feels hardly noteworthy. Unhealthy items or processed foods are certainly more appealing than toast with peanut butter. Eating a balanced meal is also not that exciting: they want to share something interesting, something that will generate a reaction.”

However, social media can have a positive role too: top influencers in SA, such as Boitumelo Thulo (@boity), promote healthy lifestyles and choices.

Mat shared the concern — raised by the German researchers — that social media marketing was not regulated, unlike TV. “Influencers do not sign a code of ethics,” she said, adding that children and adolescents may not distinguish the nuances of “simply enjoying a food” versus a paid advert on social media.

The German team analysed the posts and videos of six of the top German-speaking influencers — with a combined following of more than 35-million, reaching teens aged 13 to 17 years — for the meals, snacks and drinks they promoted.

They found the German influencers featured food and drinks on a quarter of their posts and videos “including half of the videos on YouTube, nearly a fifth (17%) on TikTok, and 7% on Instagram, equivalent to an average of 18 products per hour”.

Wakolbinger said: “Our findings suggest that most of the time, influencers are not flagging when their posts are adverts. It is imperative governments take notice. Influencers have huge power over what young people feel is relevant and appealing.

“How can we expect our children to eat healthily when content on social media is skewed to promote foods high in fat, salt, and sugar?” she asked.

Nearly 20% of children or adolescents globally are now overweight or obese, and obesity is rising.

The SA National Health and Nutrition Examination survey found that 13% of SA children from six to 14 years old were overweight and obese.

The international scientists noted: “The marketing of unhealthy products is recognised as an important contributor to unhealthy weight gain in childhood, affecting children’s food preferences and eating behaviours.”

“We must crack down on social media and challenge the role of influencers in junk food marketing,” Winzer urged. “Governments must adopt a comprehensive approach, targeting multiple media channels to ensure our children are encouraged to make healthy lifestyle choices.”

Mat said that fans trusted influencers when they made recommendations about brands and products. “Part of the reason that influencers gain an audience is because they are doing aspirational things and fans will aim to emulate those behaviours to get closer to their influencer.” But she said: “What most people do not realise is: body shape, size and weight are determined predominantly by genetics, socioeconomic status and education among others.

“It is not just what we eat that determines how we look. Social media users might think (of the influencers): ‘If they eat/drink that and still look that way, I can too.’ This is not true.”