Marc Anthony Brown
mb802117@ohio.edu
Digital Advertisers are becoming more and more manipulative in the type of products internet users like to consume. The rise of apps like TikTok helped showcase how specific an algorithm can get online to tailor to one's wants and desires. But an unintended consequence of becoming larger online is the audiences it attracts especially children.
The continued rise of social media and technology among the youth, the practice of companies to generate revenue has become more deceptive. Recently, the hot topic issue in the news cycle was the leaked Facebook documents and how the company recognized the detrimental mental harm it was causing on younger users thanks to apps like Instagram. However, despite this revelation the company had no prolonged solution to the problem and instead had new plans to generate profits with teen users.
Internet safety among children is a topic that goes back and forth in the eyes of the public. Children are already exposed to advertisements in the real world thanks to television commercials, billboards, magazines and more that surround them in their everyday life. However, the difference in that is that the advertisement is not tailored to them but on the internet it is.
In a Pew Research study from 2021, the researchers examined the amount of screentime children took part in on certain devices. While Televisions took the leading factor, there was a growing rise in the use of smartphone and devices.
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| Source: pewresearch.org |
The study also explained that 60% of parents allowed their children to use a smartphone before the age of 5 with 31% being before the age of 2. This early access to a smartphone in general is very dangerous as during a child's development years the brain can be majorly warped to perceive reality in a way that is not true. While Facebook's lack of incentive on the mental health of teens in recent leaked documents has been a thot topic it has not been a new discussion.
Child safety on the internet has gotten some Federal Regulation over the last several years. In 2019 the FTC cracked-down on YouTube after the company did not notify parents who may let their child use the platform that YouTube is tracking their data.
The FTC Consumer article dives further in this information: "YouTube collected “persistent identifiers” – such as cookies that are used to track viewers over time and across websites – for advertising to children. For example, a toy company with a YouTube channel could set its account so that a child who visited its channel received ads for the company’s toys when the child visited another website."
This widespread implementation of the rule changed the platform as many content creators initially were hurt by the broad enforcement of this rule. The FTC clarified that while it is not possible to stop children under 13 from watching videos not meant for them, YouTube is responsible for the way their content is delivered to that potential audience.
Despite these changes, this just plagues one of the many issues with tracking data online with children. This ruling from the FTC does not apply to sites like TikTok, arguably the second biggest video platform.
With an algorithm that scans and tracks your interests online - with no safeguard to protect against unwanted ads - there is a giant possibility that in the future controversy can arise with the mental wellbeing of children and teens who use the app. Parents and platform users will need to keep an eye out on further manipulation tatics from big tech companies and advertisers and the effects on children.
I really like your take on this article because I didn't think about the effects advertising has on children, especially on social media. I also didn't know that the FTC's regulation doesn't apply to TikTok which can be really dangerous in the future.
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