Stop Coca‑Cola’s Santa Ads: Our Kids Deserve Better
Petition to Restrict Coca‑Cola's Santa Claus Advertising to Protect Children
On January 21, 2026, I sent a message to several official COCA‑COLA e‑mail addresses with the following subject line: "The Corporate War on Children's Minds." Aside from two automated responses, COCA‑COLA did not provide any substantive reply. For this reason, I was compelled to prepare a new petition for the European Union, the English translation of which you can read below.
Title: Ban Coca‑Cola's Santa Claus Advertisements to Protect Children
Honorable Petitions Committee,
I, the undersigned, respectfully request that the Committee examine and prohibit the practice by which COCA‑COLA uses the image of Santa Claus to promote its extremely high‑sugar, high‑caffeine soft drink. Santa Claus—an iconic and beloved figure for children across Europe—is being used by the company to directly appeal to minors, which, in my view, infringes upon children's fundamental right to healthy development.
Extensive research demonstrates that excessive sugar consumption and caffeine intake have harmful effects on children's physical and cognitive development. For example:
A standard 0.5‑liter bottle of COCA‑COLA contains more than 50 grams of sugar, which by itself exceeds the entire recommended daily sugar intake for a child aged 6–10.
Caffeine's stimulating effects can cause sleep disturbances, restlessness, and concentration problems in children, often leading to declining school performance.
According to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), childhood obesity in Europe has already reached alarming levels, and the consumption of sugary drinks is one of the primary contributing factors.
COCA‑COLA's advertising—especially during the Christmas season—relies on visual and emotional cues that are highly appealing to children. Santa Claus symbolizes kindness, generosity, and the magic of the holiday season, making it easy for children to associate these positive emotions with the product. In my opinion, this practice is misleading, unethical, and incompatible with the European Union's principles on child protection.
Concrete examples of this problematic practice include:
COCA‑COLA's Christmas trucks and promotional events where Santa Claus appears in person and takes photos with children in front of the company's branding.
Television and online advertisements in which Santa presents the sugary drink as part of a "magical Christmas."
In‑store promotions where COCA‑COLA products decorated with Santa imagery are placed at children's eye level.
In light of the above, I respectfully request that the Committee investigate whether this advertising practice is compatible with EU child‑protection and public‑health standards, and, if necessary, introduce regulatory measures to ensure that companies may no longer use iconic children's figures to promote products that pose risks to children's health.
Respectfully,
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