Child influencers on YouTube have ignored regulations: study

By Alice Clifford via SWNS

Child influencers on YouTube have ignored regulations as they push unhealthy food brands in their videos, a new study shows.

New research shows that 38 percent of child influencer videos featured branded food, drink or restaurant products, appearing around four times per video.

Sweet brands were the most common, making up 42 percent of brand appearances.

This was followed by sugary and salty snacks, sweetened drinks and ice cream, which made up 32 percent of appearances.

Healthy brands like bottled water, plain milk and fruit made up just nine percent.

In January 2020, YouTube implemented a ban on food and drink advertising during “made-for-kids” videos.

These channels are created to inform audiences that the content is appropriate for children under the age of 13.

However, the new study shows that this ban has been ignored.

The team selected a random sample of 400 videos posted in 2019 and 2020, before and after the ban.

The researchers analyzed 13 channels of top child influencers on “made for kids” YouTube channels.

The total number of views on these videos exceeded 155 billion as of June 2020.

These videos represented approximately one-third of the total “made-for-kids” videos.

Despite the ban, the number of branded food-related appearances did not change from 2019 to 2020.

Instead, sweet brands increased significantly, jumping from 36 percent in 2019 to 47 percent in 2020.

The number of videos showing healthy non-branded products, such as fruit, vegetables, plain milk or water, also increased.

However, unhealthy products appeared in more than two-thirds of these videos, counteracting potential opportunities to convey positive healthy eating messages to children.

Just one video included a disclosure indicating a financial relationship between the brand and child influencer, as required by the US Federal Trade Commission.

However, researchers could not determine whether child influencers received compensation from companies to place branded products in their videos.

Dr. Frances Fleming-Milici, director of marketing initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, said: “We were shocked to find how frequently candy, chips, cookie, sugary drink and ice cream brands appeared in videos on popular child-influencer YouTube channels, channels with billions of young viewers.

“Despite YouTube’s ban on food and beverage advertising on 'made-for-kids' channels, child influencers continue to push branded products on young viewers that harm their health.”

The team also found that a main character in the videos drank or ate branded food or drink in approximately one-third of appearances.

This increased from 25 percent in 2019 to 38 percent in 2020.

In 15 percent of the videos, food-related brands were also mentioned verbally or appeared as brand logos on toys, stickers, or thumbnails shown with the video title when searching on YouTube.

Around three video ads were shown during each child-influencer video but they were largely in compliance with YouTube’s policy.

Only five ads out of all video ads promoted food or beverage products.

Dr. Jennifer Harris, a senior research advisor at the Rudd Center, said: “More than one-half of branded product appearances featured brands from companies that participate in the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, a US food industry self-regulatory program.

“Despite these companies’ pledges to only promote healthier dietary choices to children, child-influencers frequently promoted brands that participating companies could not advertise directly to children, including candy, sugary drinks and sweet and salty snacks.”

These findings show the need to address stealth marketing to children in digital media.

As children spend increasing amounts of time on YouTube, concerns are high about the powerful influence these types of appearances have on child viewers.

The researchers now urge Google and food companies to establish policies to prohibit child influencers on YouTube from featuring unhealthy branded food or beverages in their videos.

The study was published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.