Digital Dangers:
Marketers follow kids everywhere!
As kids spend more time online, companies have followed them into their digital worlds. From advergames to social media, digital strategies keep brands just a click away from young audiences.
Jeff Chester, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Democracy, explains how the explosion of online marketing created new high-impact opportunities for marketers to reach children—promoting eating habits that fuel today’s public health crisis.
Games, Games, Games
Under the guise of play, advergames market products to children. Some are full-scale video games built around a brand mascot or product; others are simple mini-games hosted on company websites. In every form, they keep kids immersed in branded worlds. Advertising doesn’t interrupt entertainment; it is the entertainment.
Back in the early 1980s, Kool-Aid Man was one of the first advergames ever released. Created for the Atari 2600, players worked to defend a pool of Kool-Aid from “Thirsties.”
Sneak King was a video game created by Burger King for the Xbox. Originally an online game, the company instead sold it as a disc in restaurants for $3.99 with the purchase of a value meal—a strategy aimed at driving customers into stores.
Social Media
In recent years, social media has supercharged food marketing to children, embedding it into the platforms where they socialize and shape their identities. Most of the advertised products are highly processed and high in sugar, salt, or saturated fat. Companies use social media platforms to try to manufacture viral trends and seed memes. They pay influencers to seamlessly weave products into content. This marketing is highly targeted, difficult to monitor, and designed to feel like entertainment.
Taco Bell Snapchat Filter
(Snapchat; 2016)
A branded filter on Snapchat turns users’ faces into tacos, encouraging them to snap a photo and share with friends. Campaigns like that turn kids and teens into promoters—spreading fast-food marketing through their own social networks.
Kraft Snapchat Filter
(Snapchat; 2016)
Kraft has historically used Snapchat filters, including a notable 2016 sponsored “Filter Game” where users caught Kraft Mac & Cheese, setting a benchmark for branded AR content. Kraft Heinz has continued to use AR to target Gen Z, focusing on immersive experiences.
Taco Bell Snapchat Filter
(Snapchat; 2016)
A branded filter on Snapchat turns users’ faces into tacos, encouraging them to snap a photo and share with friends. Campaigns like that turn kids and teens into promoters—spreading fast-food marketing through their own social networks.
Kraft Snapchat Filter
(Snapchat; 2016)
Kraft has historically used Snapchat filters, including a notable 2016 sponsored “Filter Game” where users caught Kraft Mac & Cheese, setting a benchmark for branded AR content. Kraft Heinz has continued to use AR to target Gen Z, focusing on immersive experiences.
Ad Campaigns on Instagram
Companies like Wendy’s and Domino’s create memes that blend into the language of the internet, mirroring the humor that kids and teens use in their social circles.
Charli D'Amelio and Dunkin' Donuts
(Tiktok; 2023)
In 2020, 16-year-old TikTok creator Charli D’Amelio—with over 156 million followers—partnered with Dunkin’, weaving its drinks into her content. Such collaborations tap into the trust viewers place in influencers, blurring the line between authentic posts and advertising—especially when paid promotions aren’t clearly disclosed.
@charlidamelio the best part of any day @Dunkin' #dunkinpartner ♬ original sound - charli d’amelio
Domino's Paid Review
(TikTok; 2026)
On TikTok, food reviews have become a powerful––and sometimes insidious–– form of marketing. What looks like an honest taste test can be paid advertising.
@akhsulie #ad @Domino’s gonna do it every time #fyp #dominoscreatorcollective ♬ original sound - Sulie
Charli D'Amelio and Dunkin' Donuts
(Tiktok; 2023)
In 2020, 16-year-old TikTok creator Charli D’Amelio—with over 156 million followers—partnered with Dunkin’, weaving its drinks into her content. Such collaborations tap into the trust viewers place in influencers, blurring the line between authentic posts and advertising—especially when paid promotions aren’t clearly disclosed.
@charlidamelio the best part of any day @Dunkin' #dunkinpartner ♬ original sound - charli d’amelio
Domino's Paid Review
(TikTok; 2026)
On TikTok, food reviews have become a powerful––and sometimes insidious–– form of marketing. What looks like an honest taste test can be paid advertising.
@akhsulie #ad @Domino’s gonna do it every time #fyp #dominoscreatorcollective ♬ original sound - Sulie
Ryan's World and Lunchables
(YouTube; 2020)
Child influencer Ryan Kaji, the star of the Ryan’s World channel, reviews toys for more than 40 million subscribers on YouTube. In videos like this one—framed as play—only brief, ineffective statements disclose that brand appearances are really paid advertising.
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