Real-time recording: A scoping review of methods to study children's real-time exposure to food and food marketing online

Abstract

Today, children are exposed to an unprecedented amount of marketing for high-fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods and non-alcoholic beverages. Exposure to HFSS products influences children's food preferences and consumption patterns. As children increasingly live, learn and play online, understanding their exposure to food and food marketing in digital environments has become a growing area of research. Real-time recording of children's devices offers an observational method of assessing their exposure to food and food marketing online. This scoping review aimed to identify and analyse studies employing real-time screen recording methods to study children's online exposure to food and food marketing. Three electronic databases (Scopus, Medline, and Web of Science) were used to identify articles published between January 1, 2010, and July 22, 2024. Articles were included if they collected and analysed real-time screen recordings from children (<18 years) using their own devices. Five studies met the criteria, conducted in Australia (n = 2), Mexico (n = 1), and Canada (n = 2). Findings suggest that research on children's exposure to food and food marketing online using real-time recording of their device use is limited. Included studies revealed inconsistencies in data collection, coding, and exposure definitions. A standardised data collection and coding protocol is needed to enhance the comparability and rigour of future research in this field. More high-quality research using real-time recording to assess children's exposure to food and food marketing online is needed. Future research should prioritise the inclusion of participants from low-income countries and diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds to identify potential inequities in children's exposure to food and food marketing online.