Nearly a quarter of teens reported using mobile food delivery services during school hours, and nearly half said they used the services after school, according to a national survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adolescents.
Of those who used such services, nearly 60% reported ordering fast food such as pizza or hamburgers, and more than a third reported ordering soda or other sugary drinks. The findings raise concerns about the ability to maintain safe learning environments and support healthy nutrition for students, researchers said.
Federal and state school nutrition policies are designed to support access to healthy foods and beverages in school cafeterias and vending machines, but advances in technology are outpacing policy. Today, smartphones have radically changed the way children get food and drink at school by delivering instant food and drink options miles away to the school gate. We can no longer view school nutrition without looking at the smartphone in a student’s pocket. ”
Mika Matsuzaki, PhD, MS, MPH, lead study author, assistant professor in the Human Nutrition Group, Department of Global Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Professor Matsuzaki will present his findings at NUTRITION 2026, the American Academy of Nutrition’s major annual meeting, to be held from July 25th to 28th in National Harbor, Maryland, outside Washington, DC.
Researchers conducted the survey online in the summer of 2025 and received responses from 1,027 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17. In addition to national trends, the results also reveal regional differences. Students living in the western United States were more likely to attend schools that allow mobile food delivery during school hours. However, teens in this region were also more likely to say they would avoid using mobile food delivery because of the perceived high cost.
Nearly half of respondents said they supported allowing on-the-go meals during school hours, but many expressed concerns about the impact on learning environments, equity, bullying, and other factors, regardless of whether they supported or opposed the move.
“Interestingly, students themselves are divided on whether this should be allowed or not. Even those who support it openly worry about campus safety and classroom disruption,” Matsuzaki said. “It’s rare to see teenagers flying the flag about their digital habits, but this shows they recognize that these platforms are a double-edged sword.”
The researchers said schools can be an important place to teach teens how to navigate the digital food environment responsibly rather than impulsively. School administrators and policy makers can leverage survey data when considering campus safety and phone use policies, as well as potential guardrails to limit the flow of unhealthy foods during school hours. It could also work with food delivery platforms to encourage users to make healthier choices. Researchers said this data could further encourage conversations about nutrition and budgets for parents and teens.
“This study should be a wake-up call for many school administrators and parents, who may not be aware of this relatively new phenomenon. We hope these findings will lead to positive conversations,” Matsuzaki said.
The researchers noted that self-report surveys have inherent limitations, and future research could help further corroborate their findings.
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American Academy of Nutrition
