Viewers turn Red Bull ad criticism into an “18+” meme during Sønderthon

Streamer Rasmus Søndergaard’s Red Bull sponsorship has become the subject of an ironic “18+” meme during his marathon livestream, DR reports.

When a Red Bull appears on screen or someone opens a can during Sønderthon, the chat fills with comments saying “18+”. The joke refers to a complaint by the Danish Consumer Council, Tænk, which last week reported Søndergaard and Red Bull to the Consumer Ombudsman over alleged breaches of rules on advertising unhealthy foods to children and young people under 18.

Sofus Bynge, a specialist consultant in educational gaming at the Centre for Digital Pedagogy, said the controversy had almost created a “meme counterculture” that could draw even more young people to the stream. He said Søndergaard regularly discusses advertising rules and reminds viewers about them, in a way that is unusually explicit and can come across as humorous or exaggerated.

Søndergaard posted on Instagram the day before the stream began: “Content forbidden for children, tomorrow at 15:00.” More than 80,000 people have already watched the stream, according to DR.

Bynge said some followers may see the criticism as misplaced because energy drinks are perceived as relatively harmless and can legally be sold to children. He said the community may find it paradoxical that a 12-year-old can buy an energy drink in a shop but cannot watch Søndergaard while drinking one.

Søndergaard has rejected the complaint but said he is listening because younger viewers need to be protected. He has argued that there are other kinds of content aimed at children that pose greater concerns.

Tænk says influencers with a “not insignificant” share of followers under 18 must follow special rules for marketing to children and young people. Senior legal adviser Marie Frank-Nielsen said the council could see that Søndergaard had tried to label the advertising, but that it was not sufficiently clear.

Sønderthon is Søndergaard’s second subathon, a continuous livestream planned to run for 15 days. The stream began on Sunday and includes competitions, challenges and guest appearances. Søndergaard has more than 800,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch, DR reports.