The Danish government announced plans to introduce legislation banning advertisements promoting unhealthy food and drinks to children under 15, including influencer marketing campaigns, per Danish broadcaster DR. 

The proposed rules would apply across television, online platforms, and social media, targeting products high in sugar, salt, or fat.

“If you spend any time on social media, you can see there’s a problem. Influencers in particular have put time and effort into marketing directly to children and young people, and that simply has to stop,” Business Minister Morten Bødskov told DR.

The legislation aims to amend existing marketing laws, with violations punishable by a fine. A consumer ombudsman will monitor and assess whether influencers are unlawfully marketing to children.

The move follows controversial marketing campaigns last year in which companies, including Kim’s Chips and The Burger Concept, used influencers with young follower demographics to promote their products.

Consumer rights group Forbrugerrådet Tænk filed a complaint against The Burger Concept for its campaign with popular Danish influencer Alexander Husum. The Danish Forum for Food Marketing upheld the complaint, criticizing the company for violating the food industry’s code on advertising unhealthy products to children.

In the campaign, Husum designed his own burger and milkshake and encouraged followers to visit the restaurant and order them. The company denied that the campaign targeted children.

Implementation and Support

Danish Health Minister Sophie Løhde indicates that a list of unhealthy food products will be produced to enforce the new regulations. An influencer’s account can be considered child-targeted if it has “lots of followers under the age of 15,” Løhde stated.

The Danish Diabetes Association and Danish Heart Foundation welcomed the proposal but call for raising the age limit to 18.

“There is also a need to prevent aggressive marketing from causing increased consumption of unhealthy food by older teenagers,” Claus Richter, Director of the Danish Diabetes Association, said in a statement.

Denmark would join countries like Norway, which already ban marketing of junk food to people under 18.