‘Australia banning social media for people under 16’ said the headline [Business Standard, 4 Dec 2024]. It got me thinking about how children consume media and my own learning in this domain.
It was in the early 1990s and we were preparing to launch an exciting new confectionery brand. I suggested to my client that the ideal time to break the advertising should be when kids have all the time to try new products: the holidays. My client, a confectionery marketing veteran, violently disagreed. He explained that the ideal time to launch any new kiddie product is when kids have their ‘social network’ active. Remember this was the 1990s and social network then was largely the network kids had in school. Kids find out something new, a new ad, a new product, and the next day they are talking about this in school. Another learning was that kids consume advertising just as adults consume editorial content. They don’t see the difference between the ads and the programs. Some of you may remember how your little kids look at ads on TV with open eyes. Kids consume ads meant for them even more avidly. Hence the maxim in confectionery advertising was that you don’t need to provide too many impressions, but you need to get as much ‘reach’ as possible. Unlike the case of a typical FMCG product like soap or toothpaste where you may operate with a media plan of 30% effective reach and 3+ OTS, in the case of kids you can try for 40% reach and 2+ OTS and achieve a bigger impact.
Advertising to children and advertising on children channels have come under fire for a decade or more. Several global majors have implemented policies to restrict advertising showing / aimed at children. Here is what I saw in the Nestle website ‘Nestlé has been taking voluntary measures on responsible marketing to children for many years: We are one of the first major food and beverage companies to restrict paid media advertising to children under the age of 16. These restrictions apply to categories such as confectionery, ice-cream and water-based beverages with added sugars. We do not direct any marketing communication to children under 6 years’. If you remember, the initial launch campaign of Nestle’s Maggi Noodles featured school kids running home demanding something to eat. You may not see those ads any more.
Interestingly in India we have a lot of kids and kids feature in various types of ads, for shampoos to soaps, washing powders to tooth paste. One guideline that most brands follow is the need to show parents or adults when featuring children in a video ad. India’s own ASCI says ‘Advertisements addressed to children shall not contain anything, whether in illustration or otherwise, which might result in their physical, mental or moral harm, or which exploits their vulnerability’.
Coming to social media and the latest Australian rule, it is still unclear how it will get implemented. The evils of social media, especially in the minds of the young is well documented. While social media has some benefits like ability to engage with groups, the negatives far outweigh the positives. A Mayo clinic study says the ill effects include ‘Distract from homework, exercise and family activities. Disrupt sleep. Lead to information that is biased or not correct. Become a means to spread rumours or share too much personal information. Lead some teens to form views about other people’s lives or bodies that aren’t realistic. Expose some teens to online predators, who might try to exploit or extort them. Expose some teens to cyberbullying, which can raise the risk of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression’.
When kids spend more than a couple of hours a day on social media platforms they are prone to get pulled deeper and deeper into the vortex of the Chaos Machine [The inside story about how social media rewired our minds and our worlds – by Max Fischer] . The name of a book clearly spells out the trouble with social media and how social media companies have altered their algorithms to ensure that you stay glued to the platform. You like cricket, you will get served endless cricket trivia. Oh, you like lipsticks, here is an nonstop stream on lipsticks and cosmetics.
The other problem with kids on social media is the feeling of inadequacy and loss of self respect. The Australian rules are clear that social media platforms cannot onboard a child below the age of 16. But a kid may access social media using an elder sister’s smartphone and may even post his pictures, if elder sister allows. They cannot create their own channel. And that is a good start to reduce the ill effects of this malaise.
Marketers too will have to improve their vigilance on what they are saying to kids and where they are saying it. Just as they are staying away from kiddie TV channels they may have to stay away from kiddie influencers. And believe me you, there are even some highly popular kiddie influencers on Youtube who spout wisdom on a wide ranging topics, from foods to chocolates, travel to dresses. Time to gag them too?
Appeared originally in Business Standard Dec 2024