Digital food marketing to children: Exploitation, surveillance and rights violations

Unhealthy food marketing has long been identified as a systems factor with negative health effects on children. The data-driven, personal data extraction and behavioural design practices of 21st century media advertising in digital technology systems mean that food marketing now sits at the intersection of multiple harms, infringing not only children's rights to health and to food, but also their rights to privacy and to be free from exploitation. This further sharpens the need for State regulation to protect children and their rights effectively. •Food marketing is unequivocally related to childhood obesity.•Data-driven digital food marketing infringes multiple child rights.•Digital media extract children's data to manipulate them behaviourally.•Digital food marketing breaches rights to privacy and freedom from exploitation.•States should regulate digital food marketing effectively to uphold children's rights.