The University of Sydney in Australia did a study in late 2014 about social media sites being the perfect place to sway teens and younger adults to eat junk food as they are often logged in during their free time.

Nutritionists, healthcare experts and parents have expressed discontent with this type of marketing and the World Health Organization wants more interventions regarding marketing foods high in sugar, salt and trans fats to adolescents and young adults,  in the hopes they will develop better eating habits for years to come.

Twenty-Seven food and beverage companies were analyzed  to include Coca-Cola, Slurpee and  Subway, using marketing strategy and  how these companies subliminally attracted these younger audiences.

Becky Freeman, PhD.  wrote

By using the interactive and social aspects of Facebook to market products, energy-dense and nutrient-poor food brands capitalize on users social networks and magnify the reach and personal relevance of their marketing messages, wrote the team, led by In terms of health policy, much of the current work to limit exposure to advertising is focused on restricting advertisements during childrens television programs and viewing hours. Our study shows that this narrow focus is likely to miss large amounts of online advertising aimed at adolescents.

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