Journal Pediatrics’ recent study examines content published by kid influencers on Youtube within the age group of 3-14-year-old. The videos posted around 2019 reveal that these influencers boosted views by advertising junk food to their viewers quite frequently.
It further investigates how advertisers are exploiting children through such mediums to promote their items. The study sampled 418 videos, out of which 179 videos garnered a whopping billion views per video, which featured content on unhealthy food and beverages spiked with sugar as only 10% of those videos did not market fast food.
This arises with an increased exposition of content being consumed across social media. Marie Bragg, an author and assistant professor for both NYU and Langone Medical Center, expressed a possibility of enabling dietary risk for children who consume such content and says it can be eliminated if parents focus on it.
The study also explains how the most popular among these categories are the unboxing videos. In these videos, the creators explain the contents of the products. Further, the research breaks down how, upon viewing such content, kids walk away with the false assumption that they can have these products and are likely throw fits if denied.
Speaking to CNN, Youtube’s representative shared how the company is examining this issue to enforce stringent rules on marketing such items specifically on Youtube kids.