The UK has the worst childhood obesity rates in Western Europe; 3.3 million children are overweight according to Bite Back 2030, a youth-led movement calling for the food industry to put the health of young people ahead of profit.

Bite Back aims to give every young person the opportunity to be healthy, regardless of where they live. But this is increasingly hampered by the prevalence of advertising for foods high in fat, salt and sugar flooding young people’s everyday lives, both on and offline.

To expose the deliberate tactics used to encourage young people to eat unhealthily, Bite Back worked with Don’t Panic to devise a social experiment entitled; ‘It’s Not Your Fault You Can’t Resist’. They invited eight teenagers down to a restaurant for what each thought was the start of the experiment, but was actually the end.

As the campaign video revealed all week these teenagers had been targeted through various marketing techniques, from social media influencers to radio and outdoor ads. Although there were over 50 choices on the menu, in every single case, the team running the experiment correctly identified which unhealthy dish each person would choose.

Don’t Panic worked alongside Bite Back’s Youth Board to orchestrate the experiment as well as Britain’s Got Talent 2019 runner-up Marc Spelmann who shared his expertise in subliminal manipulation.

The film is a call to action, not scripted or staged but authentically created to highlight just how much power the food industry has over young peoples’ choices. The tactics used mirrored those used by prominent food companies who influence our behaviour and choices on a daily basis.

The movement is yet another example of how young people are stepping up and making their voices heard whether that’s in the Friday school strikes led by Greta Thunberg or March for our Lives fighting for legislation to prevent gun violence in the US. The thoughtful and expertly executed campaign also serves as a stark reminder to the marketing industry in the age of ultra-transparency that tactics which have long underpinned marketing will no longer be accepted by the next generation. They will be called out, challenged and held to account, especially when young people feel their freedom of choice is affected.