Organised within Task 5.6 of Work Package 5 (Regulation and Taxation), this session addressed the ongoing challenges of monitoring the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages in online environments. The webinar, moderated by Maria João Gregório (WP5 Co-leader, Directorate-General of Health, Portugal), served as a pivotal platform to share diverse monitoring experiences and explore pathways for evidence-based policy and implementation across Europe.
Maria João Gregório opened the session, highlighting the Joint Action’s commitment to improving Europe's capacity to regulate harmful practices through evidence-based policy.
Following this introduction, Dr Magdalena Muc (The Open University, UK) presented findings from the CLICKBITE study in Ireland, which utilised screen-capture technology to capture the reality of digital marketing dynamics.
The results provided a comprehensive view of adolescent exposure: teenagers encounter unhealthy food ads as often as every three minutes, potentially reaching 14,000 exposures annually. A particularly concerning detail was the disparity in content, as adolescents saw only one healthy food promotion for every 25 minutes of scrolling. Furthermore, Dr Magdalena noted that participants recalled less than 30% of the marketing they encountered, confirming that the vast majority of this influence is processed subconsciously, bypassing active critical thinking.
Building on this data, Professor Mimi Tatlow-Golden (The Open University, UK) shared evidence on how advertisers themselves view the digital food marketing landscape. Her research uncovered a significant sense of unease within the industry, with professionals describing the digital ecosystem as "inescapable". The discussion revealed that while advertisers may avoid direct age-based targeting, they effectively reach minors through strategic influencer partnerships and interest-based algorithms. Professor Mimi Tatlow-Golden underscored that understanding these "parasocial" dynamics is essential for designing regulatory frameworks that go beyond simple brand recognition.
The move towards scalable monitoring was further explored by Dr Charlotte Juton and scientist Nora Lorenzo i Sunyer from Sciensano (Belgium), who shared their experience using Artificial Intelligence alongside the KidAd App. These tools were designed to map marketing targeted at children by processing vast amounts of data, such as the 106,530 images captured in their pilot study, to identify brand logos and categorise content automatically. Alongside these results, they also identified several points for improvement, noting that the piloting process was essential for uncovering technical optimisations and ensure that the tool provides a robust and common background for partners to align monitoring efforts.
To conclude the session, Catherine Armitage, representing the European Commission, discussed the Digital Services Act (DSA) and its potential to mitigate systemic risks to public health through increased platform transparency. The discussion addressed how the DSA’s focus on accountability can be leveraged to support public health goals, ensuring a sustainable impact on policies protecting minors in digital spaces. As the session highlighted, generating such objective evidence is essential for informed decision-making at both national and European levels, ensuring that research and regulation work in synergy to foster safer digital spaces for future generations.
Key Webinar Takeaways
Methodological synergy: Aligning diverse monitoring tools is essential for generating a consistent evidence base to support the development of robust policy measures across Europe.
High exposure and subconscious influence: Adolescents face a high volume of unhealthy food marketing that often goes unremembered; addressing this constant, subconscious exposure is a priority for public health.
Strategic policy design: Gaining insights into the specific strategies used by advertisers allows for the design of regulations and measures that are better adapted to the reality of digital environments.
Technological validation: The continued testing and validation of technology-based tools, such as Artificial Intelligence, is vital for strengthening the capacity of institutions to monitor digital spaces effectively.
Regulatory integration: Linking technical monitoring data with frameworks like the Digital Services Act (DSA) ensures that evidence is effectively used to promote platform transparency and accountability.