Effects of Influencer Marketing on Children's Health: A Scientific Review

Influencer marketing is a common practice for many companies to advertise their products and services, including food products marketed to children, on social media. Because children may view influencers as role models or relatable figures, such marketing can have a powerful effect on their behavior, including the development of food choices and eating habits. This article provides a comprehensive scoping review of literature that explores the link between influencer marketing and children’s dietary patterns. The selected articles investigated the psychological, social, and marketing aspects of this connection, and the results showed that influencer marketing can affect children’s immediate food choices and consumption. The review also highlighted the potential for long-term consequences of these effects, although evidence for such outcomes remains limited. However, these effects should be differentiated from the evidence showing an association between influencer marketing for energy-dense and nutrient-poor products and unhealthy dietary patterns in children. The findings emphasize the importance of understanding how influencer marketing affects young audiences and provide insight into the mechanisms behind these effects. In particular, the findings can help researchers and companies analyze how specific products, marketing strategies, and levels of engagement may influence children’s dietary choices and eating habits. As social media becomes increasingly integrated into the daily lives of young people and influencer marketing is increasingly used to promote food products, understanding these effects is becoming more important.