One-sided Social Media Relationships and the Impact of Advertising on Children
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One-sided Social Media Relationships
and the Impact of Advertising
on Children
Yolanda N. Evans, MD, MPH
In this issue of Pediatrics, Alruwaily viewership to advertise to broad
et al1 provide an update on advertising audiences.3 Social media influencers
to children by evaluating the presence of are, potentially, highly effective
food product placements in user-created spokespersons for product marketing.
content on the social media platform
Although, in their study, Alruwaily et al1
YouTube. At a time when social
offer a unique research method for
media companies are creating spaces
extracting data from a social analytics
specifically for children (eg, YouTube
platform, the authors’ search criteria
Kids and Messenger Kids), this study
yielded only 5 kid influencer channels,
offers an important start to needed
and they excluded 3 channels because
research on the impacts of advertising
of having ,50 videos displaying food
and marketing to children by “kid
and/or drink items in the thumbnail
influencers.” The authors define social University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital,
image displayed next to the video title.
media influencers as “‘everyday people’ Seattle, Washington
The search did not allow for the
whose primary tool for building fame Opinions expressed in these commentaries are
evaluation of impressions generated by
involves creating entertaining or those of the author and not necessarily those of the
microinfluencers who have from 1000 to
engaging YouTube videos or social American Academy of Pediatrics or its Committees.
100 000 followers.4 These exclusions
media posts that help them attract large DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-017533
likely led to an underestimate of food
numbers of social media followers. Kid Accepted for publication Aug 21, 2020
and/or drink impressions. Despite the
influencers are children whose parents
limitations, the authors found concerning Address correspondence to Yolanda N. Evans, MD,
film videos of the child playing with toys MPH, Seattle Children’s Hospital, 4540 Sand Point
results with 179 videos (1 billion views)
or engaging in family-friendly activities.” Way NE, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98105.
featuring food and/or drink, with .94%
E-mail: yolanda.evans@seattlechildrens.org
of the food items being unhealthy and
Social media celebrity influencers are PEDIATRICS (ISSN Numbers: Print, 0031-4005; Online,
93% of those items being branded.
well known, have large viewing 1098-4275).
audiences, and continually generate Social media allow for direct Copyright © 2020 by the American Academy of
new content that is always available. communication with followers (such as Pediatrics
This user-generated content often when an influencer replies directly to FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The author has indicated
includes activities such as unboxing comments from viewers) and she has no financial relationships relevant to this
and playing with toys, interacting with relatability. The viewer may develop article to disclose.
siblings, making food items, and a one-sided or parasocial relationship FUNDING: No external funding.
activities that seem ordinary. In general, (PSR) with the influencer, a term that POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The author has
influencers are more diverse (eg, describes an emotional connection felt indicated she has no potential conflicts of interest to
underrepresented minority or lesbian, by the viewer for the influencer, in disclose.
gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer) which the influencer is perceived as COMPANION PAPER: A companion to this article can
than more traditional entertainers, thus more of a peer or friend.5 Youth who be found online at www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.
1542/peds.2019-4057.
increasing their relatability and appeal follow social media personae and have
to diverse populations and their received responses from the influencer
consumer reach.2 Digital marketing have even stronger perceived To cite: Evans YN. One-sided Social Media
Relationships and the Impact of Advertising on
campaigns have exploited this relationships with the influencer.2
Children. Pediatrics. 2020;146(5):e2020017533
combination of appeal and large Because children and parents view
Downloaded from www.aappublications.org/news by guest on February 27, 2021
PEDIATRICS Volume 146, number 5, November 2020:e2020017533 COMMENTARYcontent on social media platforms choices to a large population. As state unhealthy food product placement.
such as YouTube, the PSR may either health departments and pediatric Pediatrics. 2020;146(5):e20194057
prevent them from recognizing the institutions use social media to reach 2. Freberg K, Graham K, McGaughey K,
influencer as a paid promoter of patients and families outside of the Freberg LA. Who are the social media
products or instill trust and examination room,11,12 we can influencers? A study of public
credibility in a product brand being leverage our credibility as experts in perceptions of personality. Public Relat
displayed because of a belief that the child health and development to both Rev. 2011;37(1):90–92
influencer would not endorse the generate health-promoting content 3. Montgomery KC, Chester J, Grier SA,
product if they did not truly like it.6 and urge user-based platforms, such Dorfman L. The new threat of digital
Among children and teenagers, as YouTube, to increase regulation marketing. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2012;
perceived attractiveness and around the advertising of products by 59(3):659–675, viii
similarity with the media influencer kid influencers to child viewers. On 4. Ismail K. Social media influencers:
can positively impact PSR, and that an individual level, health care mega, macro, micro or nano. Available
PSR can positively influence purchase providers can educate parents on at: https://www.cmswire.com/digital-
intentions.7 Unfortunately, parental their critical role in helping their marketing/social-media-influencers-
restriction of screen time may not children be conscientious consumers. mega-macro-micro-or-nano/. Accessed
affect this purchase intent.7 Parental mediation in the form of July 1, 2020
discussion of social media content has 5. Tolbert AN, Drogos KL. Tweens’ wishful
The Federal Trade Commission Act
been associated with increasing their identification and parasocial relationships
“prohibits unfair or deceptive with YouTubers. Front Psychol. 2019;10:2781
child’s critical thinking when viewing
advertising in any medium. That is,
social media.13 There is evidence 6. De Veirman M, Hudders L, Nelson MR.
advertising must tell the truth and not
that parental critical thinking about What is influencer marketing and how
mislead consumers.”8 The Federal
media can affect the family dietary does it target children? A review and
Trade Commission offers tips for
behavior.14 The American Academy of direction for future research. Front
social media influencers on how and Psychol. 2019;10:2685
Pediatrics has recently revised tips
when to disclose brand relationships.9
for encouraging digital literacy and 7. Lou C, Kim HK. Fancying the new rich
Yet guidelines fall short, given the
educating parents on how to and famous? Explicating the roles of
sheer volume of views by consumers, influencer content, credibility, and
recognize product placements and
considering that the most viewed
potential impacts on purchasing.15 In parental mediation in adolescents’
television broadcast, the Super Bowl, parasocial relationship, materialism,
the revised policy, it is recommended
had ∼100 million viewers in 202010 and purchase intentions. Front Psychol.
that providers recognize how
and the kid influencers included in 2019;10:2567
advertisers target children and
this study had 48 billion views. The 8. Federal Trade Commission Bureau of
teenagers, encourage parents to
updated guidelines do not limit the Consumer Protection. Advertising and
engage in communication with their
amount of time influencers can marketing on the internet: rules of the
children about media, and consider
discuss or display brand products or road. Available at: https://www.ftc.gov/
using a parent or child’s digital device
how they interact with brand tips-advice/business-center/guidance/
as a “teachable moment” in the
products. These oversights can have advertising-marketing-internet-rules-
examination room to identify road. Accessed July 1, 2020
significant ramifications. As the
advertisements or persuasive
authors noted, food and drink 9. Federal Trade Commission Bureau of
design.15 Because younger children
impressions included the minutes Consumer Protection. Disclosures 101
are viewing social media, more
(not seconds) being viewed. Brand for social media influencers. Available
solutions are needed to decrease at: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/
placements in a thumbnail image
exposure to advertising and mediate documents/plain-language/1001a-
and video content can be viewed
the effects of advertising on children influencer-guide-508_1.pdf. Accessed
repeatedly. The influence of the PSR
and parents as consumers. July 1, 2020
on trust and relatability may skew the
viewer from even realizing they are 10. The Nielsen Company. Super Bowl LIV
seeing brand endorsement, and draws nearly 100 million TV viewers, 44
ABBREVIATION million social media interactions.
disclosure of endorsements may be
easily missed (eg, a brand disclosure PSR: parasocial relationship Available at: https://www.nielsen.com/
us/en/press-releases/2020/super-bowl-
briefly mentioned at the end of a video
liv-draws-nearly-100-million-tv-viewers-
may be skipped). 44-million-social-media-interactions/.
The billions of views reported in this REFERENCES Accessed July 1, 2020
study indicate the potential for 1. Alruwaily A, Mangold C, Greene T, et al. 11. Duke CH, Yin J, Zhang X, et al. Adopting
sharing healthy lifestyle and eating Child social media influencers and YouTube to promote health: analysis of
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Available at: https://www.youtube.com/ J Health Commun. 2018;23(1):
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Pinkleton B. Parental mediation in the critical thinking about media in shaping 2020;146(1):e20201681
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PEDIATRICS Volume 146, number 5, November 2020 3One-sided Social Media Relationships and the Impact of Advertising on Children
Yolanda N. Evans
Pediatrics originally published online October 26, 2020;
Updated Information & including high resolution figures, can be found at:
Services http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2020/10/22/peds.2
020-017533
References This article cites 10 articles, 2 of which you can access for free at:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2020/10/22/peds.2
020-017533#BIBL
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Downloaded from www.aappublications.org/news by guest on February 27, 2021One-sided Social Media Relationships and the Impact of Advertising on Children
Yolanda N. Evans
Pediatrics originally published online October 26, 2020;
The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is
located on the World Wide Web at:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2020/10/22/peds.2020-017533
Pediatrics is the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. A monthly publication, it
has been published continuously since 1948. Pediatrics is owned, published, and trademarked by
the American Academy of Pediatrics, 345 Park Avenue, Itasca, Illinois, 60143. Copyright © 2020
by the American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 1073-0397.
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