New research from Harvard reveals that major social networks, such as instagram and TikTok, are making huge amounts of money from advertising aimed at children and teenagers. The university’s TH Chan School of Public Health estimates that the six largest platforms collectively won more than 11 billion dollars in 2022, only in the United States.
Large social networks are under the scrutiny of researchers and authorities around the world for the damage they are causing to children. In the United States, for example, a collective complaint is advancing due to the serious effect on the mental health of children and adolescents. And in Europe, regulators raised an alert at the beginning of the month because platforms like Instagram and Facebook facilitate the creation of pedophile networks.
Everyone accuses these companies of not taking the necessary protective measures, despite being aware of this potential damage. The Harvard researchers highlight that your study shows that more government regulation is needed. The premise is simple: the lucrative business of advertising aimed at minors is being prioritized over the implementation of stricter guidelines.
According to the new Harvard analysis, YouTube obtained the highest advertising revenue from users under 12 years old, with 959.1 million dollars. Instagram ($801.1 million) and Facebook ($137.2 million) followed. In the range of 13 to 17 years old, the one that raised the most was Instagram with 4 billion dollars, followed by TikTok ($2 billion) and YouTube ($1.2 billion).
How did they calculate how much Instagram, TikTok or YouTube earned from advertising to children?
At a general level, between 30% and 40% of the money generated by advertising on three of these social media platforms—Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube—are attributable to audiences made up of minors. snapchatin this sense, is in first place: 41% of its 2022 advertising revenue was obtained from users under 18 years of age. It is followed by TikTok (35%), YouTube (27%) and Instagram (16%).
The social networks themselves do not make public how much money they make from children and adolescents. To get a sense of this income, Harvard researchers first estimated the number of users under 18 on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (Twitter) and YouTube in 2022. To arrive at this number, they crossed population data from the US Census and surveys from Common Sense Media and Pew Research.
They then used data from research firm eMarketer, now called Insider Intelligence, and Qustodio, a parental control app. Thus, they were able to estimate the advertising revenue of each platform in the United States in 2022. Also, the time that children spent per day on each platform.
The researchers ultimately built a simulation model to estimate how much advertising revenue they got from these audiences. This is the first study of its kind, highlights the Harvard team. “Although social networks claim they can self-regulate their practices to reduce harm to young people, they have not yet done so,” said Bryn Austin, a professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the lead author of the study.
Austin insisted on a release that the analysis makes it clear that these companies “They have overwhelming financial incentives to continue delaying meaningful action.” In addition to state intervention, the researchers called for greater transparency, as a first step to reduce potentially harmful advertising practices in children and adolescents.
The risk of advertising to children
Social networks like Instagram and TikTok are not the only ones to spread advertising for children. However, online ads can be especially insidious. The line between advertisements and the content that children look for on networks is usually quite blurry.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said, in a document published in 2020, that children are “especially vulnerable to the persuasive effects of advertising because of their immature critical thinking skills and inhibition of their impulses.” “Often, they can’t resist it when it is spread on trusted social networks, encouraged by influential celebrities or delivered alongside personalized content,” notes the document.
Another investigation carried out by the Tech Transparency Project reported this year that YouTube algorithms They recommended violent videos —on how to handle a weapon, for example— to minors. Some of them were monetized with advertising.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission earlier this month proposed several changes to the law that regulates how online companies can track children and serve them ads. Changes would include turning off ads aimed at children under 13 by default and limit push notifications.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta—the parent company of Facebook and Instagram—is expected to testify before the US Senate in January 2024. Other executives from large technology companies and social networks are also summoned. Above all, to address complaints about online child exploitation.
The European Commission asked Meta this month to formally clarify what protection measures are to prevent child abuse. The call for attention coincided with a new report from the Wall Street Journal about how Instagram and Facebook algorithms promote pedophile networks. The American newspaper has exposed how these platforms connect consumers and sellers of child pornography through recommendations.
In the United States, dozens of states denounced Meta last October for fueling a youth mental health crisis. Prosecutors point in the claim to the addictive nature of Zuckerberg’s social media. “Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to attract, engage and ultimately engage young people and adolescents,” says the complaint.
Prosecutors agree with what the Harvard researchers stated: “His motivation is profit,” they said in the presentation of the complaint. Meta, according to the states, has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its platforms. And, knowing the risks, it has still induced compulsive use in children and adolescents.