Children and YouTube Marketing

Question: My kids love YouTube, especially watching unboxing videos and toy reviews. But sometimes it seems like it’s full of marketing. Is this OK?

Answer: YouTube is a place where kids spend a lot of time, and marketers know this. They also know that kids mostly spend their own money on snacks/treats, beverages, toys and fast food. Therefore, they place branded food and beverage items – such as candy, fast food or soda – in YouTube videos, which reach billions of child viewers. Experiments have shown that only a small portion of preschoolers understood that the purpose of the ads they saw were to “sell you something”. Even if videos contain a “disclosure” that the material contains advertising, this doesn’t appear to change kids’ behavior. Additionally, when children see unhealthy foods in YouTube videos, they tend to prefer and eat more of those unhealthy foods, which could potentially affect their health and obesity risk.

What Parents Can Do

• If your child loves YouTube, find content creators and YouTubers who are good role models, really try to tell a good story or teach something, rather than just showing excessive amounts of branded toys and foods. Viewing excessive marketing can make your child think of these purchases or foods as normal, everyday options, might make them beg for those unhealthy foods or overstuffed toy chests (marketers hope so!), or make it harder for you to establish healthy food preferences.
• When you see an ad, see if your child can identify it and what the ad is trying to sell them. Help them understand that ads are created to persuade people to do things and buy things.
• Try switching to platforms that have no ads or fewer ads, or at least YouTube channels with less marketing. For free video-playing apps with better-quality content, try switching to PBS KIDS Videos, Sensical or Noggin. You can see whether your child behaves any differently!

Resources for Parents

• This article provides ideas for talking to children about ads: Talking to kids about advertising | National Geographic
• This resource from the National Association for Media Literacy Education helps kids identify the types of media designs that promote clicks and engagement: Media Literacy: Media Monsters