Better Internet for Kids

Did you know that your teenagers are constantly bombarded with advertisements when they are on their screens? Budget e-commerce giants excel at targeting them, capturing their attention with repetitive visuals and tempting promotional offers. However, behind these ads are aggressive marketing strategies that can influence your child’s behaviour.

Why are these platforms successful among young people?

Shoes, Hi-Fi equipment, computer gear, clothes, and everyday objects—everything is within reach on these e-commerce sites, at knockdown prices. Besides attractive pricing, these platforms use flash sale pop-ups, buy buttons, referral rewards, and time countdowns to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.

How do they gain popularity?

The Internet is a commercial space where brands fight to increase their visibility and market share. Since teenagers spend a significant proportion of their free time on screens, it is on their smartphones and favourite apps where everything happens. Determined to conquer teenagers, one well-known e-commerce site known for a wide range of clothing for extremely low prices disseminates nearly 50 billion videos and ads on social networks, while a newer competitor spent nearly 2 billion dollars on advertising on Facebook and Instagram last year. Once a user is targeted, they are tracked everywhere during their navigation - on search engines, social networks, or platforms like Vinted - reinforcing the presence and influence of these brands.

What is wrong with aggressive marketing to young people?

These companies use aggressive marketing techniques to attract new consumers, offering exceptionally low prices, free shipping, and promotions of up to 90 per cent. They also use influencers to promote products on social media. However, some companies go further by using fake positive reviews and celebrity testimonials to establish their popularity, even if it does not reflect reality.

Young people may be heavily influenced by social media, especially Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, where ‘shopping hauls’ from these brands flash across their screens as sponsors without even searching for them. Influencers frequently post unboxing and product review videos, normalising overconsumption and promoting material goods. Wanting to be like their peers, young people may associate purchasing products with their social image and self-esteem, reinforcing the cycle of compulsive consumption. Not keeping up with trends can lead to feelings of insecurity or anxiety.

Additionally, the endless scrolling on TikTok or Instagram to stay updated makes a simple viewing of a ‘haul’ an addictive experience. Spending long hours in front of screens can lead to health problems like anxiety, sleep disorders, or depression.

How to protect your teenagers from aggressive marketing:

1. Educate about online marketing: Explain to them how companies use aggressive marketing to drive impulse buying. Teach them to recognise persuasion techniques like targeted ads, enticing promotions, and addictive features like infinite scrolling.
2. Filter content: Use parental control tools to filter online ads and limit their' exposure to overly commercial content.
3. Recall self-confidence: Encourage them to think about their needs rather than blindly following trends. Remind them that their worth does not depend on material goods. Encourage them to develop interests and passions unrelated to consumption.
4. Encourage autonomy: Help them develop decision-making and self-regulation skills. This will help them set personal boundaries, manage impulses, and think about the long-term consequences of their choices.
5. Be selective: Encourage them to be selective in choosing the accounts they follow on social media. They should favour content creators who provide informational or entertaining value over those who focus solely on promoting products.

By understanding and addressing the impact of aggressive marketing, you can help young people navigate the digital world more safely and responsibly.

Find more information about the work of the French Safer Internet Centre, including their awareness raising, helpline, hotline, and youth participation services, or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.