Abstract:

Objective: Research shows that most of the food advertisements in YouTube videos belong to unhealthy and processed foods and this platform lacks control. In this research, it is aimed to evaluate the advertisements in the most viewed videos on the most watched children’s YouTube channels in terms of food and beverage content. Methods: The five most-watched videos (345 videos in total) on each of the 69 channels, selected by ratings on YouTube, were watched. The videos and all the advertisements shown during videos were assessed according to the determined criteria through the data collection form prepared by the researchers. Results: No ad was displayed in 21.2% of the videos watched. The subjects of advertisements in the videos were mostly “mobile games”, “computer games” and “toys” (27.9%; 22.7%; 13.9%, respectively). Of the videos, 7.4% were about food, 2% drinks, and 0.1% both. The most advertised foods were chocolate, chewing gum, and cake. Of the 345 videos analyzed, 28.1% contained food and 6.1% beverages, regardless of the advertisements. In 76.2% of the videos, there were no messages about nutrition and food. There were some characters eating healthily/ encouraging a healthy diet in 12.5% of all videos and some characters eating unhealthily/encouraging an unhealthy diet in 11.3%. While 46.2% of the fairy tale/story-themed videos contained characters and messages encouraging healthy eating, the videos about computer games did not include messages about nutrition. Conclusion: There is a need for regulations regarding advertising on digital platforms. It is also vital to monitor the industry to make visible the current threats to childhood obesity.

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