Suggested citation: J. Fortuna, N. Patti, Children as Vulnerable Targets and Agents of Influence in Digital Food Environments: Some Comparative Insights in lceonline (www.lceonline.eu), 2/2026, I/Saggi e contributi, p. 45 ss.
Key words: digital vulnerability, minors, online influence, legal comparison, digital food environment
Abstract: The article examines the position of minors in relation to digital communication concerning food, highlighting their ambivalent role both as vulnerable individuals, who are the targets of commercial practices and advertising messages, and as active participants who exert influence in this same sphere. Through a comparative approach, the article highlights how current forms of child protection remain tied to models ill-suited to addressing the specific characteristics and risks of digital environments, particularly those relating to food, with potential dangers for children’s mental and
physical health. Digital influence on developing individuals can, in fact, affect eating habits and lead to a perception of one’s own body as inadequate according to the ideal aesthetic standards promoted online. The article aims to analyse the evolution of the European regulatory framework, including the GDPR, the Digital Services Act and the AI Act, and recent regulatory developments in France and Italy regarding the protection of minors online, child influencers and sharenting. These instruments, however, continue to address only some of the implications of digital influence, particularly in cases where children themselves are the carriers of food-related content within the digital ecosystem.
