The industry-created Children’s Food and Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) includes voluntary-and sometimes lax-nutritional standards for marketing to kids. largely relies on food and beverage companies to self-regulate. The FTC has not attempted to use its authority over deceptive acts and practices, in part out of concern over similar backlash. While the FTC gathers and reports data on food advertising to youth and brings cases against food companies for specific unfair and deceptive practices, Congress stripped the agency of its authority to regulate marketing directed at children considered unfair in 1980, after the FTC tried to limit sugary food and drinks in commercials during children’s television. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which protects consumers from deceptive and unfair business practices, has limited authority over advertising directed at kids. Self-regulation falls short in today’s marketing landscapeĬommercial speech, including advertising, is largely protected by the First Amendment. overwhelmingly relies on industry self-regulation, which has not kept pace with modern marketing practices,” says study author Jennifer Pomeranz, assistant professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health. Very little, thanks to outdated and weakened government oversight, according to a new legal analysis published in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics by researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. But what is protecting children from predatory advertising of junk food, especially with sneaky online marketing tactics like the use of influencers?

Federal regulations ban tobacco companies from advertising to kids and prohibit profanity on television before 10 p.m.

Junk food infographic