Parents can say no, but the environment makes it harder
In supermarkets across England, a quiet struggle unfolds between parental intention and the engineered desires of children — a struggle that new research suggests parents are losing far more often than they realize. A study of over a thousand families reveals that the modern grocery environment, shaped by sophisticated food marketing, has effectively recruited children as unwitting agents of consumption, turning the weekly shop into a negotiation most parents cannot win. The findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, invite us to ask not whether parents lack willpower, but whether the systems surrounding them were ever designed to support good choices in the first place.
- More than half of surveyed parents report their children regularly pressure them to buy high-fat, high-sugar products — and nearly three-quarters ultimately give in, making the outcome of the weekly shop disturbingly predictable.
- Children aged four to eleven are the most persistent petitioners, deploying verbal demands, physical basket-loading, and pointed references to TV ads and in-store displays to get what they want.
- The emotional cost is real: nearly a quarter of parents feel guilty, upset, or distressed by these encounters, with food-insecure families bearing the sharpest psychological burden — caught between wanting to say no and fearing they are failing their children.
- Researchers argue the problem is structural, not personal — billions in food marketing spend have made children effective vectors for unhealthy purchasing, and parental resolve alone cannot counter an environment engineered against it.
- Scientists are calling for a fundamental overhaul of in-store displays, online food environments, and marketing practices, warning that without systemic change, the supermarket will remain a battleground tilted decisively against families.
Every parent knows the moment: the cart, the bright packaging, the sudden negotiation. A new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul confirms that this scene plays out with striking regularity across England — and that the child usually wins.
Researchers surveyed 1,050 parents about their weekly shopping habits and found that more than half reported their children frequently badgered them to buy products high in fat, salt, or sugar. Nearly three-quarters said they often gave in. The study portrays the modern grocery store as a space where children wield real power over household food decisions, despite not being the ones paying.
Professor Emma Boyland of the University of Liverpool, who led the research, was direct: the food environment works against parental intentions. Shelf placement, packaging, and advertising are designed to generate desire — and children, particularly those aged four to eleven, are its most responsive audience. Ice creams, sweets, chocolates, and biscuits topped the list of requests. Children asked verbally, placed items in baskets themselves, or pointed to products they had seen on television or in-store displays.
The study also uncovered an emotional dimension that numbers alone cannot capture. Nearly a quarter of parents felt upset, guilty, or distressed by their children's food demands. That burden fell hardest on food-insecure families, who faced a painful double bind: wanting to refuse, while dreading the appearance of being unable to provide.
Co-author Dr. Magdalena Muc stressed that children are not simply being difficult — they are responding to powerful, sophisticated marketing that prompts pestering, which in turn raises their risk of obesity. The researchers are calling for a fundamental rethinking of how food is marketed and displayed, arguing that without systemic change, the weekly shop will remain a contest that parental judgment, outspent and outdesigned, is unlikely to win.
Every parent knows the moment: you're pushing the cart through the supermarket, your child spots something bright and familiar on the shelf, and suddenly you're negotiating. A new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul suggests this scene plays out in households across England with striking regularity, and that the outcome—a box of sugary cereal in your cart—is far more predictable than most parents might like to admit.
Researchers surveyed 1,050 parents about their weekly shopping habits and found that more than half reported their children or teenagers frequently badger them to buy products loaded with fat, salt, or sugar. The pressure works. Nearly three-quarters of those same parents said they often give in and buy what their kids ask for. The study paints a picture of the modern grocery store as a place where children wield considerable power over household food decisions, even though they're not the ones paying.
Emma Boyland, a professor of food marketing and child health at the University of Liverpool who led the research, framed the problem plainly: parents can say no, but the environment around them makes that no harder to stick to. The food industry's design—from shelf placement to packaging to advertising—works against parental intentions. "Our findings highlight the need for significant transformation of online and in-store food shopping environments and marketing," Boyland said, noting that these forces shape not just what parents buy but what children eat, and ultimately their risk of obesity.
The survey, which included mostly mothers with children ranging from infants to teenagers, revealed that younger children aged four to eleven pester more aggressively than older kids or toddlers. The items most frequently requested were ice creams and lollies, sweets and chocolates, and sweet biscuits. Children made their demands in different ways: some asked verbally, others physically placed items in the basket, and still others pointed to products they'd seen advertised on television or spotted in-store displays. Older children proved more susceptible to these visual and media triggers.
Beyond the purchasing itself, the study uncovered an emotional toll. Nearly a quarter of parents reported that their children's food requests left them feeling upset, guilty, or distressed. That distress was not evenly distributed. Parents experiencing food insecurity—those struggling to afford enough food for their families—reported being pestered more frequently and described the experience as a genuine source of anguish. They faced the double bind of wanting to say no while also worrying about disappointing their children or appearing unable to provide.
Dr. Magdalena Muc, a co-author from the Open University, emphasized that children are not simply being picky eaters. They are responding to "powerful and sophisticated marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages." The frequency of exposure to these messages—on screens, on packages, in stores—prompts the pestering. And the pestering, in turn, increases children's risk of becoming overweight or obese. The cycle is deliberate on one end and nearly inescapable on the other.
The researchers are calling for a fundamental rethinking of how food is marketed and displayed, both online and in physical stores. The current system, they argue, does not support parents trying to feed their children well. Without intervention, the weekly shopping trip will remain a battleground where children's desires, amplified by billions in marketing spend, consistently overwhelm parental judgment.
Citas Notables
While children might not be paying the bill at the checkout, their influence over their parents' purchasing decisions is very real.— Emma Boyland, University of Liverpool
Children are highly susceptible to powerful and sophisticated marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages, and the frequent exposure prompts them to pester their parents, putting them at greater risk of developing overweight and obesity.— Dr. Magdalena Muc, Open University
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a child's request for junk food feel so hard to refuse? Is it just about being a pushover parent?
The study suggests it's not really about parental weakness. It's that children are being targeted by marketing designed to make them want these products, and then they ask for them in the store where the products are positioned to catch their eye. Parents are managing multiple pressures at once.
But 72% of parents buy what their kids ask for. That seems like a lot of people saying yes.
It is. And the researchers point out that the food environment itself doesn't help. If you're in a store where unhealthy products are everywhere, brightly packaged, advertised on screens your child has seen at home—saying no becomes exhausting. Some parents also feel guilty, especially if they're struggling financially.
The study mentions food-insecure families experience more distress. Why would that be?
If you're already worried about affording enough food, and your child is asking for something, there's a conflict between wanting to say no and fearing you're denying them something other families can give their kids. It's not just about nutrition anymore—it becomes about feeling like you're failing as a parent.
So what would actually change this?
The researchers say the shopping environment itself needs to change—how products are displayed, how they're marketed, what advertising children see before they even get to the store. Right now, the system is designed to make children want these things and ask for them.