The world’s child obesity rate is surging to unprecedented levels. Overweight has now overtaken underweight, thanks to the massive surge in the consumption of ultra-processed foods globally.
The latest 2025 Child Nutrition Report published by UNICEF reveals that since 2000, obesity has risen at a faster rate than overweight among school-age children and adolescents. At the same time, there has been a steady fall in the prevalence of underweight.
There was a historic turning point in 2025, when for the first time, the global prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents aged 5–19 years surpassed that of underweight (9.4 per cent versus 9.2 per cent).
This new health and economic concern, the report reveals, is partly as a result of the massive drive in the marketing of these “junk” foods across all digital platforms targeting children.
These children are glued to their screens at home, in class breaks, or on the football field. But as children scroll, play, and chat online, a silent predator follows them everywhere.
The UNICEF report says that from flashy ads for sugary drinks to gamified promotions for salty snacks and fast food, multinational food giants have found a direct route into the minds of children and teenagers. The result is a global crisis where children are not just learning online, they are also being relentlessly lured into unhealthy eating habits.
An Invisible but Relentless Campaign
The Child Nutrition Report cites a global U-Report poll spanning 171 countries, which revealed that three in four young people aged 13–24 were exposed to ads for sugary drinks, snacks, or fast food within a single week.
And while the problem is most severe in upper-middle-income countries, where a staggering 90% reported exposure, even children in low-income nations (65%) and conflict-affected countries (68%) aren’t spared.
Experts say digital marketing works differently from traditional advertising. It tracks children’s online behaviors, tailors highly personalized ads, and blurs the line between content and promotion. That funny video? Sponsored by a soda brand. the game reward? A coupon for fries. It’s interactive, constant, and designed to be irresistible.
“Children, adolescents and young people report that they experience temptation, pressure and powerlessness in the face of relentless food marketing,” the report cited by The High Street Journal noted.
It added, “digital marketing is expanding rapidly and gives the ultra-processed food and beverage industry unprecedented access and power to target children and adolescents. It uses children’s online behaviours to deliver highly personalized and persuasive food advertisements; it is interactive, engaging, and constantly available; it blurs the boundaries between content and food advertising; and it is poorly regulated and largely invisible to parents and policymakers.”
From Screens to Stomachs: The Obesity Connection
The consequences are not just virtual. UNICEF says these targeted ads are directly fueling rising childhood obesity rates. Bombarded by messages glamorizing energy drinks, burgers, and candy, children are nudged into consumption patterns that load their diets with sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
For school-aged children, this is particularly dangerous. Habits formed in adolescence often carry into adulthood. And with childhood obesity already linked to higher risks of diabetes, heart disease, and poor mental health, the stakes could not be higher.
“Obesity accounts for a growing share of all overweight cases. In 2022, 42 per cent of all children and adolescents aged 5–19 years living with overweight had obesity (163 million out of 391 million), up from 30 per cent in 2000 (58 million out of 194 million),” the report indicated.
It added, “This is immensely concerning because obesity is more difficult to reverse than being overweight and has a greater risk of serious health conditions.”
Why Parents & Policymakers Are Losing Control
Unlike TV ads that parents could monitor or regulators could cap, digital marketing is largely invisible to adults. It follows children across apps and devices, hiding in games, social media feeds, and influencer content.
The result is that policymakers often underestimate the scale, while parents remain powerless to shield their children.
Meanwhile, the food industry enjoys unprecedented access to young audiences, with little accountability. Regulation remains patchy at best, leaving schools and homes flooded with persuasive food ads that undermine healthy eating campaigns.
The Bottomline
The development demands that governments, authorities, and policymakers step in through stricter regulation of digital food marketing, mandatory transparency from platforms, and restrictions on how children’s data can be used to target ads.
Schools and educational institutions must also double down on nutrition education, while parents call for greater accountability from tech companies and food giants.
Without swift and drastic intervention, until then, every swipe, scroll, and click will carry an invisible risk of children being sold the very products that threaten their health.
