February 21, 2013 - [Cereal companies, the third biggest food marketer to children, are using sophisticated online marketing techniques to target children with unhealthy products ](http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/advertising/CearealMarketingDigital_JHC_2.13.pdf)and get them to engage with brands in ways not possible through television advertising, found a study by the Berkeley Media Studies Group and the Rudd Center published in the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives.
Researchers identified 17 branded cereal websites (containing a total of 452 unique web pages) between October 2008 and March 2009 that targeted children. Most of these sites marketed cereals high in sugar and low in nutrients and the less nutritious the cereal, the more likely it was to be marketed to children.
At a time when childhood obesity and related health problems are high, and youth engagement with online media is growing--nearly 10 percent of those in the U.S. who are active on the internet are between ages 2 and 11--these findings have significant implications for public health.
URL: http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/cereal-companies-leverage-digital-marketing-to-target-children-with-sugary-products
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