Understanding how social media policies affect unhealthy food ads for teens
Unhealthy food and beverage advertising on social media: Examining state policies that restrict adolescents' access to social media
This project looks at how new state policies might change the amount of unhealthy food and drink ads teenagers see on social media.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11145260 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Many unhealthy food and drink ads on social media can affect teenagers' health, potentially increasing their risk for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. New state policies are emerging that aim to limit how teens access social media or how companies can advertise to them. This project will compare teens in states with these new policies to those in states without them. We want to see if these policies actually reduce the number of unhealthy food ads young people encounter online.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adolescents aged 13-17 years living in states like Louisiana and Texas, or comparable states without these new policies, would be ideal participants.
Not a fit: Patients outside of the adolescent age range or those not exposed to social media advertising would not directly benefit from this particular policy-focused research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help create better policies to protect young people from harmful advertising and improve their long-term health.
How similar studies have performed: While regulating advertising has been challenging, the approach of using state policies to restrict social media access for minors is a new and untested strategy.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- New York University School of Medicine — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Elbel, Brian — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Elbel, Brian
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.