One and a half billion dollars.

That’s how much companies in the U.S. spent on advertising to babies and kids in 2023, according to Statista.

Large companies and influencers target children and teens in their marketing campaigns, resulting in youth exposure to potentially harmful influences, according to an article by Oxford Academic. These influences include the introduction of tobacco products, junk foods, and overspending on video games.

“With respect to youth, for any brand, for any product, if you can capture the audience young, then you get more years of revenue, and you can get more profit out of them,” said Anthony Miyazaki, a professor of marketing at Florida International University.

The E-cigarette industry

Knowingly selling tobacco products to a minor is classified as a misdemeanor in most states.

In 2018, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned e-cigarette companies of their flavored products with concerns that they target and mislead children. This followed an investigation that the FDA conducted into these companies violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Despite the warning, many of these e-cigarettes still sell and produce e-cigarettes with flavors that mimic common foods and fruits. According to a study conducted by ScienceDirect, fruit flavors were the favorite of users between 13 and 18.

Teenagers are more susceptible to this form of marketing as they have less self-control over how they spend their money, according to Gilly Kahn, a clinical psychologist.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), which include e-cigarettes, have been found to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, increase heart rate, and cause high blood pressure when used habitually.

The use of tobacco products is not as uncommon as many might think. The FDA’s National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) results show that 10.1% of high schoolers and 5.4% of middle schoolers report using tobacco products.

The most common tobacco product was found to be e-cigarettes, which made up 5.9% of tobacco product use in middle school and high school. In comparison, flavored e-cigarette products make up 87.6% of e-cigarette use for students in middle and high school.

The introduction of flavors to e-cigarettes makes them more appealing to younger audiences who might be reluctant to experiment with new items. It incorporates a familiar flavor which makes the new experience less intimidating.

“Companies use bright colors that would attract even adults. Human beings just tend to be more drawn to things that are loud and catch our attention, but especially kids,” said Gilly Kahn, a clinical psychologist.

According to the Journal of Medical Internet Research, it has been found that the promotion of e-cigarettes to youth through television or social media influencers has resulted in a positive perception of vaping and, in turn, more sales. Their research revealed that 81% of youth started using e-cigarettes because someone close to them did.

Associating these products with someone dear to them makes younger people more inclined to join in. Youth, in particular, are less likely to be suspicious of a product if people they know use it regularly.

“It’s very much influenced by their friend group, and if their friend group starts vaping, they feel the need to fit in,” said Patricia Weng, an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In addition to having a variety of flavors, tobacco and e-cigarette companies often sponsor influencers to showcase their product. According to the CDC, 56% of PG-13 movies include the use of tobacco products.

“By getting an influencer to use their products, youth who might be following that influencer or who want to emulate that influencer are more likely to want to either vape or use tobacco products,” Miyazaki said.

ENDS not only impact children physically but also affect their mental well-being. The addictiveness surrounding ENDS makes it hard for them to take care of themselves and accomplish other tasks.

“It affects their day-to-day well-being,” Weng said. “There’s a higher likelihood of them not going to school, skipping classes, and not taking their medications.”

The food industry

An increasing number of social media influencers have begun to release their line of products surrounding food and toys. When big influencers release products, they tend to gain traction and go viral, resulting in a rise in sales. For some of these influencers, young adults make up a significant portion of their audience.

According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, 72% of those from ages 18 to 29 follow influencers on social media platforms, with 41% of those admitting to having purchased a product as a direct result of an influencer. Young adults are easily influenced by those they interact with online, and having influencers promote a product has been an effective strategy for sales.

The positive feelings one has towards an influencer or celebrity are passed onto the product through a process called “affect transfer.”

“The good feelings that we feel toward an influencer or toward a celebrity, if they have a particular product or brand that they’re using, then we’re probably going to feel those good feelings toward that brand as well,” Miyazaki said.

However, sometimes, the products influencers push onto their audience are not in the best interest of their audience. Especially when it comes to younger audiences who don’t know what is good for them, they are likely to purchase a product as a result of the influencer without knowing of the effects of said product.

“My brother spends a lot of his time online and watches large creators regularly. On multiple occasions, he has asked for my parents to buy these influencer products,” said Jennifer Yang, a sophomore at Palo Alto High School with a younger brother in middle school.

One example of this is a sports drink brand called Prime, made by influencers Logan Paul and Olajide Olatunji, who is known as KSI. This product has gone viral since its release. 

Since then, Prime partnered up with Jimmy Donaldson, who goes by the alias MrBeast, to launch a packaged lunch product called Lunchly. MrBeast is the most subscribed channel on YouTube.

His collaboration product with Prime has also gone viral, with many of the influencer’s younger audience wanting to purchase these products.

“During a weekend trip to Utah, my kids asked to purchase Lunchly, MrBeast’s latest food collaboration, from a local grocery store,” said Girlie Keninger, a parent with two teenagers.

Their drink is advertised to be a healthier alternative to other sports drinks and can be seen promoted in their posts on social media. They claim it contains 834 milligrams of electrolytes and will help consumers “refresh, replenish, and refuel.” 

“It’s marketed as being healthier, but for a normal teenager, or even any child in the United States of America who has access to food in the normal American diet, they do not need a supplement of electrolytes, even if you play pretty highly competitive sports. The drinks are laced with sugar, so that’s what makes them tasty,” Weng said.

Despite products marketing themselves as healthier, parents know not to trust these labels.

“I have a healthy skepticism about social media products. While some items may be fine, I’m aware that these products often prioritize marketing over value, typically charging premium prices for average quality,” Keninger said.

The fear of missing out (FOMO) is the main reason most people use social media, with higher FOMO levels being present in younger adults, according to a study by Larry Dossey, a physician and writer. 

“You’re more likely to spend that money because you’re just doing what everybody else is doing. And if you don’t do it, you may feel left out,” Miyazaki said.

The food industry employs other stimuli to attract children’s attention. 

“When you walk into a grocery store, you see all of the sugary cereals with bright colors and characters. They are eye-level for kids, so they’re even strategically placed in a store,” Kahn said.

The marketing tactics the food industry uses are effective at attracting children and teenagers, but as they grow older, it becomes less and less effective as self-control develops. However, being introduced to products at a young age can result in the development of habits that lead into adulthood.

The video game industry

Many teens come home after a long day at school to start playing video games immediately. Video games remain a significant part of youth’s lives. According to the Pew Research Center, 85% of teens report playing video games, with 41% doing so daily. 

Video games are a way for teens to connect with friends online while also entertaining themselves. The same study done by the Pew Research Center reveals that 89% of teens who play video games do so with others, while 47% have made an online friend as a result of video games.

Teens are able to play video games on a variety of devices they use every day. This accessibility and convenience make video games a pastime for many teens. 

The video game industry is worth $455 billion, with 19% of games monetizing through in-game currency while 24% monetizing through requiring payments to install games, according to Statista. 

In-game currencies are those specific to a game that can be purchased with real money. Many video games use these currencies to draw the spender’s attention away from the real money and towards the “fake” money that they are spending with each purchase. 

“When you have any type of funding that’s within the game, it’s almost like it’s not money anymore. It’s easier to spend 50 tokens worth 10 cents each than an actual five dollars in real money,” Miyazaki said.

Another key aspect of many games is loot boxes. Like other things that can be purchased in games, these are often bought with in-game currencies. Loot boxes involve the buyer not knowing what they are paying for and receiving a reward at random. 

“There’s a risk of children associating spending with instant gratification, potentially leading to a cycle where they feel compelled to make purchases to enhance their gaming experience or maintain competitive status. It’s important to help young people understand the difference between wants and needs in the digital space,” Keninger said.

An advisory from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns parents about masking the unfavorable odds of winning something using tactics commonly seen in gambling. This desire to win results in overspending by undermining an individual’s self-control.

“You don’t know when you’re going to get the prize, kind of like gambling. You think you’re going to get something, but you’re not sure you’re going to get it. So you keep on trying and trying and every now and then, you may get something that you want,” Miyazaki said. 

Young children and teens are more susceptible to these tactics compared to adults. According to Kahn, the human brain doesn’t mature until the 20s, and the last part to develop is the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive functioning.

“Executive functioning is your ability to plan, organize, set goals, carry out those goals, and use critical thinking skills. Adults have that, and young people don’t,” Kahn said.

This results in young people having less self-control, putting them at higher risk of overspending. The same advisory from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also noted that parents had reported unwanted transactions on their credit and debit cards when they were connected to a gaming service. 

“My brother’s favorite things to buy are game passes since they feel more valuable. If he didn’t have a limit, he would definitely spend more,” Yang said. “He watches people play these games on sites such as YouTube.”

In-game spending is another instance of youth being more comfortable purchasing a product when the people they interact with online are also comfortable with it.

“If someone’s spending their time watching influencers on Twitch and those influencers are making in-game purchases, it feels like a norm for the community, even if it’s not a norm at the moment,” Miyazaki said.

All the products are marketed through one thing: someone or something youth are familiar with. 

“They’re easily influenced, but they’re a bit more vulnerable because they’re still finding themselves since there’s social acceptance and social hierarchy. There’s just a lot of pressure, especially when you’re in high school,” Kahn said.