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Whether via ads or influencer collaborations, many of us are exposed to junk food marketing via digital devices. But are these campaigns reaching children? The invisible nature of digital marketing makes it challenging for researchers to identify and track precisely what brands are doing, particularly when marketing is rolled out behind company walls, and delivered to individual devices such as phones.

A new study led by nutritionist Christine Driessen (RPHNutr.) has found a way in. Through analyzing industry reports submitted to a marketing awards program, the research reveals a worrying reality: children and adolescents are being targeted by the very latest in sophisticated marketing techniques for unhealthy foods and drinks.

The new study is published in the journal Appetite , with co-authors from Deakin University, Monash University and the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

"Multinational food and beverage companies are using advanced digital marketing…