Australia's social media ban for kids sparks debate on advertising ethics

Marketers and platforms face scrutiny as new rules aim to protect children under 16 from online harm

“Australia banning social media for people under 16”, said a headline in this newspaper on December 4. It got me thinking 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 would be when kids had 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 was when kids had their ‘social network’ active.

 

Remember, this was the 1990s and social network then was largely the network kids had in school. Kids found out something new — a new ad, a new product — and the next day they talked about it in school. Another learning was that kids consumed advertising just as adults consumed editorial content. They did not see the difference between the ads and the programmes.

 

Some of you may remember how your little kids looked at ads on TV with open eyes. Kids consumed ads meant for them even more avidly. Hence, the maxim in confectionery advertising was that you did not need to provide too many impressions, but you needed to get as much ‘reach’ as possible. Unlike in the case of a typical FMCG product, like soap or toothpaste, where you might operate with a media plan of 30 per cent effective reach and 3+ OTS, in the case of kids you could try for 40 per cent 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 or aimed at children. Here is what I saw on 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 anymore.

 

Interestingly, in India we have a lot of kids and kids feature in various types of ads, from shampoos to soaps, washing powders to toothpaste. 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 the 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 lipstick, here is a 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 older sister’s smartphone and may even post his pictures, if the 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, there are even some highly popular kiddie influencers on YouTube who spout wisdom on wide ranging topics, from food to chocolate, travel to dresses. Time to gag them, too?

 

The writer is an independent brand strategist and founder of Brand-Building.com, a brand advisory