Virtual Junk Food Playgrounds in Europe: Advergames in the UK and Hungary

Abstract

Unhealthy foods and drinks are among the top products advertised to young children. Considering the growing childhood obesity epidemic and the soaring number of children accessing the Internet, even online junk food advertising has come under increasing scrutiny. Many countries are in the process of expanding and revising existing regulation to account for the realities of the digital age and to respond to health and other social concerns. This paper focuses on two European countries in particular to examine and compare these processes through the lens of junk food advergames aimed at children. Our questions are: 1) Given the differences in the media landscapes of the UK and Hungary, what types of junk food advergames target children?; and 2) In light of the growing childhood obesity problem faced by both nations, how have government bodies, advocacy groups, and advertisers approached junk food advertising targeting children in general and online advertising including advergames in particular? The United Kingdom represents a country with the highest Internet usage by children and the most developed online advertising market in Europe, while Hungary, a post-communist country, represents an emerging media market where young people have less access to the Internet and buying power but constitute a crucial “entry point” for food advertisers.

Ultra-Processed Food Consumption among the Paediatric Population: An Overview and Call to Action from the European Childhood Obesity Group

“…Transnational corporations have circumvented nutrition standards for school meals and the sale of competitive foods within schools in contexts like the US, with indirect endorsements or the sale of copy-cat snacks [46,47] and have succeeded in rolling back standards for school lunches [48]. While some attempt has been made to restrict the marketing of these products to children via television [49][50][51], digital food marketing (including in social media, online gaming and on websites of interest to young people) remains largely unchartered territory [52][53][54][55]. Digital UPF promotion is increasingly delivered through smart phones and tablets, resulting in an uninterrupted, immersive commercial experience [56,57].…”

The Other Pandemic: A Conceptual Framework and Future Research Directions of Junk Food Marketing to Children and Childhood Obesity

“…Again, children and adolescents exposed to such games consume more junk food than usual (Harris et al 2012). The effectiveness of advertising memory may lie in the fact that in these games, the brand, its logo, the products it markets, its graphic charter, and its mascots are used as elements constituting the game (Flowers, Lustyik and Gulyás 2010). However, like for TV advertisements, Internet communications, and brand placements, the games do not mention the risks of overweight, obesity, or addiction from consuming junk food (Lee et al 2009).…”