Children use pester power to get parents to buy junk food – study

Children are winning the war when it comes to getting their parents to buy junk food, new research suggests, with parents frequently caving in to demands for fatty and sugary foods.

A study being presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul found parents across England face pester power when it comes to what goes in the weekly shop.

More than half (58%) of 1,050 parents surveyed said they are frequently pestered by their children or teens while food shopping to purchase products high in fat, salt and/or sugar.

As a result, almost three-quarters (72%) of parents said they often bought the requested item.

Many parents (59%) also admitted to being influenced by price promotions and in-store offers when it came to unplanned food purchases, while 52% of parents blamed shopping with children.

Lead researcher Emma Boyland, professor of food marketing and child health at the University of Liverpool, said: “While children might not be paying the bill at the checkout, their influence over their parents’ purchasing decisions is very real.

“Parents can, and do, say no but the current food environment does not help parents to feed their children healthy diets.

“Our findings highlight the need for significant transformation of online and in-store food shopping environments and marketing, both of which have a huge influence on what products parents buy and children eat, and increase the risk of childhood obesity.”

The survey was made up of 67% women whose children were aged one to 18.

Results showed that 58% reported their child or children “frequently” or “always” requested products when food shopping, with just 4% saying their child never did.

Younger children aged four to 11 were found to make more demands than those aged 12 to 18 and were more likely to pester than those aged three and under.

The most requested items were ice creams and lollies (45%), sweets and chocolates (43%), and sweets and biscuits (42%).

More than half of parents said children verbally asked for products, one in three children picked up items and placed them in the basket or trolley, while around one in six talked about a product display or in-store advert.

Older children appeared more likely to be influenced by in-store or media adverts.

However, overall, a quarter of parents said seeing branded, child-friendly characters on packaging, or watching food adverts on TV or online before coming in store, was driving requests.

And almost a quarter (23%) of parents reported that requests made them feel upset, guilty or distressed.

Co-author Dr Magdalena Muc, from the Open University, said: “Children are highly susceptible to powerful and sophisticated marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages, and the frequent exposure we observe prompts them to pester their parents, putting them at greater risk of developing overweight and obesity.

“Concerningly, our findings suggest that it is the parents experiencing food insecurity who are pestered more frequently and it can be a real source of distress.”

Published: 10/05/2026 by Radio NewsHub