Unhealthy Ads Target Teens & Youth of Color

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What does unhealthy advertising do to teens and youth in general?

Various questions about unhealthy advertising are being addressed in research to understand if there is any effect, if at all, of ads on teens behavior and purchases from watching ads that promote sugary drinks, alcoholic drinks, and fast foods.

Sugary drinks are advertised specifically to Latino and black youth audiences and recent studies show Latino youth are growing in buying power.

Researchers with the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Boston University School of Public Health have recently reported that youth ages 13 to 20 years old, are more likely to consume alcohol that is advertised in public media than alcohol not advertised in magazines or on television.

Also, unhealthy junk food ads are in most cases directly marketed to youth of color. These companies spend billions of dollars for ads online and on television to target their products to youth. A recent study from the American University in Washington, DC has shown that teens and kids who watch more television ads about junk food are less likely to see it as unhealthy and unlikely to associate health risks with this type of food. Youth who most likely see more TV ads are youth of color and this type of increase advertising can lead to positive perceptions of eating fast food.

Overall, in combining these studies and reports, one can see that there is an urgent need to help teens see healthier foods and beverage ads online and in mainstream media. Helping Latino kids see healthy food as the best choice through social media, television ads, and online may help prevent unhealthy lifestyles consumed with junk food and sugary beverages.