Reducing Student Exposure to Digital Food and Beverage Marketing: Policy and Practice Recommendations

Abstract

Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children and adolescents is pervasive, highly effective, undermines healthy eating, and contributes to health inequities. Expanded use of electronic devices and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency for policy interventions to limit digital food marketing in schools and on school-issued devices. The US Department of Agriculture provides little guidance to schools for how to address digital food marketing. Federal and state privacy protections for children are inadequate. Considering these policy gaps, state and local education authorities can incorporate strategies to reduce digital food marketing into school policies for: content filtering on school networks and on school-issued devices; digital instructional materials; student-owned device use during lunch; and school use of social media to communicate with parents and students. Model policy language is provided. These policy approaches can leverage existing policy mechanisms to address digital food marketing from a variety of sources.

School Nutrition Environment and Services: Policies and Practices That Promote Healthy Eating Among K‐12 Students

“…The 1 study in this systematic review that addressed FBM found a decrease in the number of instances that FBM did not align with nutrition standards, and that removing or replacing noncompliant marketing was not resource intensive 108 ; however, schools may need technical assistance to identify marketing that does not align with federal nutrition standards. Schools can address FBM in a variety of ways, including leveraging wellness policies to limit or exclude certain FBM content and providing education to students and staff about how to identify deceitful marketing practices 121,122 …”

“…Schools can address FBM in a variety of ways, including leveraging wellness policies to limit or exclude certain FBM content and providing education to students and staff about how to identify deceitful marketing practices. 121,122 Consumption of SSBs has been linked to certain health outcomes (eg, weight gain, dental caries), and there is evidence that water substitution can reduce SSB intake. [123][124][125][126] More than 1 in 5 children and adolescents do not drink any water during the day, and about half of school-age children are underhydrated.…”