Young people face constant HFSS junk food marketing on social media

Young people in the UK are being exposed to a relentless stream of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) junk food marketing content on social media, according to new research by Cancer Research UK.

The charity’s Digital Influence study surveyed more than 4,000 people aged 11 to 21 and found that more than half (52 percent) had seen HFSS products promoted online in the past month. The findings suggest that this type of marketing is not only frequent but also highly engaging. Nearly four in 10 respondents said they interacted with such content by liking, commenting or sharing, with influencer posts proving more popular than brand advertising.

“At least every two minutes that I’m on Instagram I’d see at least one food-related post,” reported one 15-year-old participant.

Another, aged 11, described a particular piece of influencer content that stood out: “[There] is a giant cookie bowl that also keeps showing up. When I see it, I feel like ordering a dessert and I feel really hungry.”

Rare insight

The study combined surveys with focus groups and interactive digital diaries, offering rare insight into how young people experience HFSS junk food marketing online. Many described content that sparked cravings or shaped eating habits, while some admitted they actively sought out influencer-led formats such as taste tests and mukbangs.

Research shows that simply seeing images of HFSS foods can trigger cravings, but Cancer Research UK found many participants viewed such content as harmless entertainment.

“There’s nothing wrong with, like, promoting unhealthy food,” said one 13-year-old. “The viewers will know if they eat too much. It’s unhealthy, but in moderation, it’ll all be fine.”

This belief highlights the difficulty young people face in recognising influencer marketing, which often lacks clear labelling and avoids the “corporate advertising look” associated with branded adverts. According to the charity, this leaves adolescents more vulnerable to promotion that undermines healthier choices.

Liv Cheek, prevention policy manager at Cancer Research UK, said:

Advertising can shape what children eat, so the UK Government must help create an online environment that empowers, rather than undermines, healthy changes.”

Time to act

The stakes are high. Being overweight is currently the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK after smoking, and children living with obesity are reportedly five times more likely to remain obese in adulthood. Current figures show that 22 percent of children aged 10 to 11 and 14 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds in England are already living with obesity.

The government is already under pressure to act. Its 10-year health plan includes the new Healthy Food Standard, which requires retailers to increase sales of healthier products in an effort to curb obesity and reduce the burden on the NHS.

Some in the food industry are also taking proactive steps. Using advances in food science, several brands are reformulating recipes or developing new product lines designed to meet the HFSS nutrient profiling model (NPM) thresholds. These innovations aim to provide healthier choices without compromising on taste or market appeal.

Campaigners, however, stress that legislation remains essential. From January 2026, paid-for online advertising of specific HFSS products will be banned, including on social media, alongside a 9pm watershed on TV. Government modelling suggests this could reduce childhood obesity by more than 20,000 cases.

But implementation has been repeatedly delayed, and critics warn that loopholes in the rules, particularly around influencer content, risk blunting their impact. Without adequate enforcement, Cancer Research UK argues, the new laws may fail to protect the very groups most at risk.

Cheek added:

Planned restrictions on junk food advertising online are a vital step to protect young people’s health. However, these measures must be properly enforced and strengthened by closing any remaining gaps in the online marketing rules. We urge the UK Government and regulators to take bold action to shield young people from harmful marketing that could increase their risk of obesity and cancer in the future.”