1. ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE WITH POLICY
The Child’s Obesity Strategy
Effects of social media on health and wellbeing

2. The Child’s Obesity Strategy
Released 23 June 2016
Young people’s views on causes of/solutions to the childhood obesity crisis
Widespread media coverage - Times/Guardian/Sun/ Telegraph/Mail; GMB/BBC Breakfast

3. The Child’s Obesity Strategy
14 May 2016: initial workshop with 17 young people
1-10 June 2016: online survey of 570 young people aged 13-18

4. The Child’s Obesity Strategy
Better food labelling:
Almost 9 in 10 (87%) think labels should include RDAs specifically for young people
More than 4 in 5 (82%) think manufacturers mislead people when they provide fat, salt and sugar for single servings (or per 100g) rather than for the entire product
More than 4 in 5 (84%) think soft drinks should display sugar content in teaspoons
More than 2 in 5 (42%) think foods high in fat/salt/sugar should be plain packaged
A third (33%) support film-style age classification labels for food and drink

5. The Child’s Obesity Strategy
Making takeaways more of a treat:
More than two thirds (71%) think takeaway food high in fat, salt or sugar should come with a health warning about the risks of obesity
More than half have ordered a takeaway using their mobile phone
1 in 4 (25%) have ordered a takeaway to their school
A third (66%) have seen junk/fast food advertising on bus tickets
More than a third (41%) think food ordering apps should ask the user’s age, and half (50%) think takeaways shouldn’t be delivered to schools

6. The Child’s Obesity Strategy
Supermarkets promoting and rewarding healthier options:
More than half (53%) think junk food should be positioned on higher shelves, away from the eye line of children
Almost half (47%) think there should be limits on BOGOFS for junk food
4 in 5 (80%) think supermarkets should offer free fruit and vegetables to children to snack on while shopping with their parents
Almost 4 in 5 (78%) would use a loyalty card that rewarded healthy choices
Almost 2 in 5 (38%) think special offers should only be available on healthy food

7. The Child’s Obesity Strategy
Activities during school and leisure time:
3 in 5 (60%) say it is easy to get unhealthy food from somewhere other than school during the day
More than 4 in 5 (85%) would like schools to provide nutrition lessons so they can learn more about healthy eating
Almost half say they would be more physically active if their schools had better sports equipment
Almost three quarters (73%) would join gyms if they had memberships aimed at young people

8. Social media, health and wellbeing
About the project:
Social media is a fact of life, and has both positive and negative effects for health and wellbeing – go beyond ‘social media good’/’social media bad’
What are some platforms doing better than others?
How can we accentuate the positive and minimise the negative?
Survey of year olds, 300 respondents thus far – we want many more!
To be followed by focus groups to explore in more detail

9. Social media, health and wellbeing
Platforms (top 3 use):
57%

10. Social media, health and wellbeing
Manner of use (alone or with others):
56%

11. Social media, health and wellbeing
Manner of use (sharing or consuming):
43%
24%

12. Social media, health and wellbeing
Expectations:
53%
51%: FOMO

13. Social media, health and wellbeing
Effects:
52%
75% 7%
22%

14. Social media, health and wellbeing
Effects:
67%

15. Social media, health and wellbeing
Effects:
66%: FOMO
38%

16. Social media, health and wellbeing
Solutions:
57%
64%
46%

17. Social media, health and wellbeing
Solutions:
57%
55%
57%

18. contact: emorrow@rsph.org.uk / @edmorrow87
Social media, health and wellbeing
Help the project!
DEADLINE: 15 AUGUST 2016
contact: