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ProtectingKidsfromStealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia

STAFFPERSPECTIVE|SEPTEMBER2023

Preface

bySamuelLevine

Director,BureauofConsumerProtection

Lastyear,theFTCheldaworkshop,ProtectingKidsfromStealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia,aimedatexploringthetechniquesbeingusedtoadvertisetochildrendigitallyandonline,and

whatmeasuresshouldbeimplementedtoprotectthemfrommanipulationandotherharms.Thisworkshophighlightedresearchshowingthatmanyyoungconsumersdonothavetheskillsor

cognitivedefensestoidentifyorsufficientlyevaluateblurredadvertising,potentiallyleadingtophysical,psychological,financial,privacy,andotherharms.ThisandotherfindingsaredetailedfurtherinthefollowingStaffPerspectiveandRecommendations,whichIurgemarketersand

otherstakeholderstoreadcarefully.

AlthoughourOctober2022Event,andthebelowStaffPerspectiveandRecommendations,focusspecificallyonblurredadvertisingtokidsindigitalmedia,itiscriticalthatwerecognizethe

broadercontextinwhichthisissuearises.Therearemanynewandemergingtrendsforchildrenonline,manyofwhichleadto,orexacerbate,theharmsassociatedwithblurredadvertising.Wenowliveinadigitalworldwherekidsspendasignificantportionoftheirfree(andschool)timeonline.Theyfindthemselvesinimmersiveenvironmentslikegamingplatforms,virtualreality,andsocialmedia,manyofwhichusetechniquestokeepthemengagedlongerandmore

frequentlythaneverbefore;theyinteractwithinfluencers,avatars,andemergingformsof

artificialintelligence,formingparasocialrelationshipsthatblurthelinesbetweenfriendsand

strangers,peopleandcomputers;theyarethesubjectsofintrusivedatacollection,oftenusedtotargetthemwithmarketingorcontent;theyarepresentedwithhundredsofadsaday,anumberthatincreasesaskidsspendmoretimeonline;theyareluredintomakingpurchasesorturningoverdatathroughtheuseofdarkpatterns;andtheyareparticularlyvulnerabletofraudthat

pervadesthesedigitalenvironments.Inaddition,astheU.S.SurgeonGeneralrecentlynoted,therearegrowingconcernsaboutscreenaddictionandmentalhealthissuesassociatedwithincreasedscreentime.

Inthismoment,itisclearthatinactionisnotanoption.Norisitanoptiontoplacetheburdenentirelyonparentstoprotecttheirchildrenfromtheseharms.Althoughitmayhavebeen

reasonableatonetimetoexpectaparenttomonitorkids’mediaandadvertisingexposure(e.g.,viaatelevisioninthelivingroomforanhouraday),wenolongerliveinthatworld.Kidsarespendingmanyhoursadayonlineonverysmallscreensthattheycantakeanywhere.Itis

unrealistictothinkparentscansufficientlymonitorthistypeofdigitalmediause,especiallyinhouseholdswithworkingparents,singleparents,parentswhodonotspeakEnglishastheirfirstlanguage,orthosewhofaceotherchallengesortimeconstraints.Andevenifparentscould

magicallymonitorthevastmajorityoftheirkids’timeonline,itwouldbenearlyimpossiblefor

FTCBUREAUOFCONSUMERPROTECTION?FTC.GOV

ProtectingKidsfromStealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia|StaffPerspective

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themtokeepupwiththeever-changingtechnologyanddigitallandscape.Infact,manyparentsareunfamiliarwiththeappstheirchildrenuseandhowtheyusethem.

IntheFTC’srecentCOPPAcases,includingU.S.v.EpicGames,Inc.,No.5:22-CV-00518-BO(W.D.N.C.Feb.7,2023),wearedoingwhatwecantotaketheburdenoffparents,andinsteadplacetheonusonoperatorstoensurethatchildren’sdataisprotected.Thatsameapproach

shouldguideourworkwithrespecttoblurredadvertising.Creators,advertisers,andplatformsmusttakeresponsibilityforpreventingandaddressingtheharmsassociatedwithblurred

advertising.Andthisresponsibilityisaboutmorethanadditionaldisclosures.Disclosures,whilenecessary,arenotthesilverbullet.Asexpertshavemadeclear,thereisnosilverbullet.

InthefollowingStaffPerspectiveandRecommendations,FTCStaffaddressesthekeyconcernsraisedbyblurredadvertisingtokidsandrecommendsamulti-prongedapproachtoaddressing

them.Theseriousconcernsthatemergeintheresearchandthroughourworkshopmakeclearthatprotectingchildrenonlinerequiresacomprehensiveapproach.

ProtectingKidsfromStealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia|StaffPerspective

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Introduction

OnOctober19,2022,theFederalTradeCommission(“FTC”)hostedProtectingKidsfrom

StealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia(“FTCKidsAdvertisingEvent,”“Event,”or“workshop”),abouttheblendingofadvertisingandcontentandhowitaffectskids,includingteens.1Inrecentyears,wehaveseenmoreadvertisingtokidsembeddedinsurroundingcontent,particularlyinthedigitalspace:socialmediainfluencersadvertiseproductsandservices,kidscreateunboxingvideos,andadvertisementsarewovenintoonlinegamesandvirtualrealityworlds,amongotherexamples.

InJuly2022,theFTCpublishedaFederalRegisternoticediscussingcommentsitreceivedin

responsetoitsreviewofitsGuidesConcerningtheUseofEndorsementsandTestimonialsin

Advertising(“theEndorsementGuides”).2Inthenotice,theFTCrecognizedthat“itisdifficultforchildren—especiallyyoungerchildren—todiscernadsfromentertainmentorothercontentinthedigitalenvironmentwherethelinesareblurredmuchmorethanintraditional‘linear’media,like

television.”3

FTCStaffsoughtinformationandexpertisethatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofspecificguidanceorbestpracticeswithrespecttoblurredadvertisingtokids,whichledtotheFTCKidsAdvertisingEvent.

AprimarymissionoftheFTCistostopdeceptiveorunfairactsorpracticesinoraffecting

commerce,whichitachieves,inpart,throughcivillawenforcementactionspursuanttoSection5oftheFTCAct,15U.S.C.§45,industryreportsandworkshops,andconsumerandbusiness

education.ThepurposeoftheEventwastoprovideapublicforumtodiscussconsumer,

industry,andacademicviewpointsaboutkids’cognitiveabilities,thelandscapeandimpactofdigitaladvertisingtokids,andanypotentialsolutions.

InthisStaffPerspective,wehighlightseveralissuesraisedattheday-longFTCKidsAdvertising

Eventandinpubliccommentsfiledinconnectionwithit,4

includingtheriseinblurred

advertising,emergingresearchandpublicconcernsabouttheabilityofchildrentorecognizeandprocessit,andpotentialsolutions.

KeyTakeaways

Whatisthecurrentdigitallandscapeforkids?

Kidsspendasignificantamountoftimeonline.A2021surveybyCommonSenseMediafoundthat88percentofteensbetween13and18havetheirownsmartphone,and57percentof

childrenbetween8and12havetheirowntablet.5Further,94percentoffamiliessurveyedwithkidsbetween8and18haveatleastonesmartphoneinthehome,and74percenthaveatabletinthehome.6Thesamesurveyfoundthat,onaverage,8-to12-year-oldshaveapproximately5.5hoursofentertainmentscreentimeperday,while13-to18-year-oldshaveabout8.5hoursof

suchscreentimeperday.7Entertainmentscreentimeincludestelevision,onlinevideos,social

ProtectingKidsfromStealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia|StaffPerspective

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media,mobilegaming,andvirtualenvironments.8Studiesshowthatchildrenareconsuming

moredigitalcontentthaneverbefore.9Asdigitalmediaconsumptionincreases,kidsalsosee

moreadvertisingandmarketingmessages.Byonecalculation,someteenagersmaysee1,260adsperday.10Themoretimekidsspendonline,themorelikelytheyaretoseeadsandhavetheir

informationcollected.Moreover,asplatformsfindnewwaystomonetizeinfluenceradsandothertypesofblurredadvertising,11thenumberofadswillcontinuetoincrease.

Whatisblurredadvertisingandwheredokidsencounterit?

Manyoftheadvertisementsthatkids(andadults)encounteronlineblendintothesurroundingcontent.Forexample,childrenmayseemarketingmessagesinaninfluencer’svideoonsocialmediaoravideosharingplatform.Someseeproductsorservicesadvertisedastheytravel

throughavirtualenvironmentorplayamobilegame.Advertisersuseawidevarietyoftechniquesoutsidetraditionaladvertisingtomarketproductsandservices.Theseinclude:

influencersocialmediaposts12;unboxingvideos13;onlinegaming14;paidsponsorships;virtualrealityworldsoravatarssponsoredbyadvertisers15;sponsoredinteractivesocialmediafilters16;andembeddedadsinvideosharing

sites.17

Industryandafewothersclaimedthatthisadvertisingmayallowsmallermarketerswhocannotengageinlargeadvertisingcampaignstoreachspecificaudiences,andthatadvertisingmore

generallyhelpspayforsomeofthecontentcreatedforkids.18Ifdonetransparently,theyargued,thistypeofadvertisingcouldbeausefultoolformarketerstoshareproductsinmorethana15-or30-secondtimeframe.Theyalsoarguedthatrestrictingorcurtailingthistypeofadvertisingcouldleadto:lesskids’content,areductioninthequalityofsuchcontent,orsubscription

modelsthatrequireconsumerstopayforaccessto

content.19

However,manyparticipantsexpressedconcernthatblurredadvertisingallowsmarketersto

disguiseadvertisingandpersuasiveintentincontent,andyoungerconsumersmaynotbeabletoevaluateitsufficientlygiventheirfocusonthe

content.20

Whereastraditionalads—forexample,adsthatappearduringthecommercialbreakofatelevisionshow—areusuallyrecognizedasadsbychildrenasyoungas4or5duetothecleardelineationbetweenthecreativecontentand

commercialmessage,21adsthatareblendedintocontentarelessdistinguishabletokids.22

Businessesnowengageinblurredadvertisingassuchawidespreadpracticethatithaspermeateddigitalmedia.Thus,itisimpossibletoknowwherewithinthecontentblurredadvertisingwill

appear,andtheonlywaytoavoiditcompletelyistoengageinsocial

isolation.23

Manygamingandsocialmediacompanieshavemadeeffortstokeepkidsengagedlonger,24whichalsomayincreasethenumberofadstheysee.Giventhenumberofadskidsmightseeinaday,25itcouldbenearlyimpossibleforthemtoactivelyevaluatealloftheseads.26

Notallproductsandservicesreferencedindigitalmediaareads.Forexample,acelebritytalkingtoherfollowersinavideomaymentionhowmuchsheloveshernewsweater.Whethersuchanendorsementisanaddependsonwhatishappeningbehindthescenes.Ifthecelebrityreceived

thesweaterforfreefromtheselleroradvertiserorhasacommercialrelationshipwitheitherofthemwhereshereceivesorexpectstoreceivemoney,freethings,orotherbenefitsfortalking

aboutthesweater,hermessagewouldbeconsideredadvertising.If,instead,sheistalkingabout

ProtectingKidsfromStealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia|StaffPerspective

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asweatershepurchasedandshehasnotiestotheselleroradvertiserofthesweater,itisnotanad.27

Theunderlyingrelationshipbetweentheadvertiserandcontentcreators,andtheaudience’sexpectationandunderstandingofthatrelationship,shoulddictatehowtheseadvertising

messagesareidentified,keepinginmindthatyoungeraudiencesmayhavedifferentexpectationsthanolderones,asdiscussedfurtherbelow.

Whatdoesemergingresearchtellusaboutkids’abilitiestorecognizeandevaluateblurredadvertising?28

Continuingquestionsaboutkids’abilitytorecognizeblurredadvertisingshouldconcern

marketerswhoneverthelessengageinthepractice.Youngerchildrentendtolacktheknowledgeandskillsthatwouldallowthemtorecognizeandevaluateads(“adliteracy”).Theseskills

include:recognizingbrandsandproducts;researchingandthinkingcriticallyaboutproducts;

determiningrulestousewhenmakingdecisions;developingbargainingandnegotiation

strategies;andunderstandinginfluence,intentions,and

motives.29

Thereisnospecificageatwhichkidsdevelopeachofthese

skills.30

Consumeradvocatesandacademicsnotethattheseissuesmakeitdifficultforkidstorecognizethedifferencebetweenadvertisingandauthenticcontent.Theysay:

.“Whenexperiencedbyyoungpeople,stealthadvertisingis...deceptivewhenitisnotclearlyunderstoodtobeadvertising.Itsimpactsarematerialbecauseitdirectlyand

indirectlyinfluencespurchasingdecisions.”31

.“Thisquestionofbeingabletodeterminewhatisorisnotadvertisingbecomesreallycriticalwhen[kidsare]facingemergingtechnologieswherethey’restilltryingtolearntheropesofhowthisspaceworksandthedifferentfeatures.”32

.“Whiletheavailablescientificandacademicliteratureindicatesthataschildrenage,theyareincrementallybetterabletoidentifyandthenappreciatethepersuasiveintentof

marketingmessages,thatdoesnotmeanthatstealthmarketingtechniquesdonot

deceive,exploit,manipulateanduniquelyharmolderchildrensuchasteenagers.”33

Bycontrast,workshopparticipantsandcommentersalsonotedevidencethatsomekidsmaybeabletoappreciatesometypesofadvertising,butthisevidenceislimitedtokids’abilityto

identifyanadvertisementassuch,nottheirabilitytoevaluateorprocessthepurposeofthe

advertisement.Forexample,researchshowsthatchildrenasyoungaspreschoolerscanrecognizetraditionaladsinthedigitalspacebecauseofcontextualinformationlikethelengthofa

commercial,a“skip”or“x”button,voiceovers,acall-to-action(e.g.,theaudienceistoldtobuysomething),orotherfeaturesthatdistinguishcreativecontentfromadvertising,34andthatalmost

allchildrencandistinguishbetweentraditionaladvertisingandcontentbyage5.35Atthesametime,researchrecognizesthatitismuchmoredifficultforchildrenbetween3and7,and

especiallybetween3and5,torecognizeembeddedadvertisingbecausesuchcontextualcuesgenerallyare

absent.36

Further,manychildrenunder7havenotdevelopedtheoryofmind(i.e.,theabilitytothinkaboutthethoughtsandfeelingofothers)andthereforehavedifficulty

ProtectingKidsfromStealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia|StaffPerspective

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understandingpersuasiveintent,37whichisnecessarytofullygraspthedifferencebetweencontentandanadvertisement.

Thereisevidencethatchildreninthe7-to11-year-oldbracketcanunderstandperspectivesandmotivesotherthantheirown,aswellasbiasanddeceptioninsomeadvertising,andtheyhaveamorenuancedunderstandingofthe

marketplace.38

Nevertheless,theevidenceonceagainshowsthatsomechildreninthisagegroupmayhavetroublediscerningadvertisingfromcreative

content.39

Inonestudy,fewerthanhalfofkids5-11couldcorrectlyidentifyaninfluenceradorunboxingvideoasadvertising,althoughrecognitionincreasedascontextualcues(e.g.,skip

button,call-to-action,disclosures,etc.)becamemoreprominentintheexamples

shown.40

Someresearchshowsthatinthe11-to16-year-oldbracket,kidshaveincreasedunderstanding,moreinsightintopersuasivetactics,andbettercontrolovertheiremotionsand

behavior.41

However,onesmallstudyfoundthatevenwhen12-to14-year-oldsreportedawarenessof

advertisingonsocialmedia,theywerenotalwaysabletoidentifycommercialmessageson

socialmediaplatformsupon

exposure.42

Anotherstudyshowedthatkidsages12-14were

significantlylesslikelytorecognizeadsinsponsoredinfluencervideosandunderstandtheir

persuasiveintentiftheywereshownadisclosurethatfailedtoexplaintheintentofthead(“[Theinfluencer]ispaidtopromote[theproduct]duringthisvideo.”),versusonethatexplainedthe

ad’sintent(“[Theinfluencer]ispaidtopromote[theproduct]duringthisvideo,tomakeyoulike[the

product].”).43

Weemphasizethattheresearchisonlydevelopingnow.Moreover,evenifdeterminedtobe

conclusive,thisresearchdoesnotappeartoapplytoneurodivergentchildren,whooftendevelopatdifferentagesandrates.Approximately15percentofU.S.kids(around7.2millionchildren)

receivespecialeducation,aretypicallyneurodivergent,andarenotaccountedforinmuchoftheexisting

research.44

Evenmoredevelopedthinkersmayhavetroubleusingcuestodeterminewhoisofferingaparticularadvertisingmessageandwhattheirmotivesare.45

Children’sdevelopmentalsomaybeinfluencedbyfactorsthatcontributetotheiradliteracy,orlackthereof.Forexample,akid’sschoolorfamilymayormaynothavetheresourcestomonitorandteachthemabout

advertising.46

Similarly,children’sdevelopmentmaydependonfactors

suchasthelanguagespokenintheirhome,theircaregivers’levelofeducation,orothersocioeconomic

factors.47

Althoughresearchinthisspacecontinuesandnodefinitiveconclusionscanbereachedatthistime,onbalance,theevidenceclearlysendsupwarningflagsabouttheproblemswithkids

understandingadvertisingindigitalmediacontexts.

Isrecognitionofanadenough?

Researchindicatesthatdisclosuresmayinsomecaseshelpkidstoidentifyembedded

advertising,buttheyoftenareinadequate—eitherbecausethedisclosuresthemselvesare

unlikelytobeseenorunderstoodbykids,48orbecausetheyareinsufficienttohelpkidsidentifyandevaluateanembeddedad.49

7

Evenifachildrecognizes(becauseofadisclosureorotherwise)thattheyareseeinganador

marketingmessage,achild’scognitiveabilitymustbecombinedwithcriticalthinkingand

skepticismtoensurethechildisthinkingaboutbiasandunderstandingpersuasive

intent.50

Childrenmaybelesslikelytousecriticalreflectionskillsbecausedoingsocouldcausethemtomissthevideo,game,orotherdigitalmediacontentinwhichtheadis

embedded.51

Furthermore,ifchildrenareseeinghundredsofadvertisingmessagesembeddedinthecontenttheyviewinagivenday,itislesslikelythattheywillbemotivatedorhavethecapacitytostopandevaluate

eachone.52Participantsalsopositedthatitmightbemorechallengingforakidtoevaluatean

ad’spersuasiveintentorthinkcriticallyaboutadswhenadvertisingmessagesaretargetedbasedonusers’interestsandpersonal

information.53

Inaddition,evenwhenchildrendorecognizethattheyareviewinganadvertisingmessageandtakethetimetoevaluateit,theymaynotgraspthefullextentofthepersuasiveintentbecauseofthesubtletyofthecontext(e.g.,socialmedia,gaming,

etc.).54

Forexample,inavirtualreality

worldorotherimmersiveenvironment,kidsmayrecognizeanad,butduetoparasocial

relationships,55whichmaybesuperchargedbytheuseofartificialintelligence,theymightbe

evenlesscriticalofattemptstopersuadethem.56Ifkidsthinktheyarefriendswithanavatarorvirtualagent,ortheyfeelakinshiptoacelebrityorinfluencertheyfollowonsocialmedia,theirtrustfortheseindividualsandthefeelingthattheindividualsarespeakingdirectlytothemmightcloudtheirunderstandingofthepersuasive

intent.57

Researchshowsthatwhenmarketingis

presentedinthisway,childrenarelesslikelytodefendthemselvesagainstit.58Alternatively,whentheinfluencersoravatarsoffermoretransparencyaroundwhytheyarerecommendingaproductandwhattheirconnectionsare,kidsunderstandbetterandhavemoreofanabilitytothink

critically.59

Whatarekeyconcernsaboutblurredadvertising?

Whilesomeparticipantspointedoutbenefitstoadsembeddedincontent—e.g.,increasedavailabilityandqualityofcontent60—othersraisedconcernsabouttheeffectsofblurredadvertising61:

.Trustworthiness/Authenticity:Influencers,avatarsandothersmayappeartobe

authenticandgenuinefiguresforkids,andkidsmaybuildrelationshipswiththemovertime.62Kidsmaybelessskepticalofembeddedadsbecausetheadsarewithincontentanddeliveredbypeopleorfiguresthey

trust.63

.ClassicalConditioning/CulturalEffects:Advertisingembeddedinentertainmentcan

createpositiveemotionsandresultin“classicconditioning.”64Aninfluencersharing

aboutusingabeautyproductismorelikelytoaffectculturalnormsandideasaboutwhatispossibleor“normal”thanatraditionaladshowinganidealizedandunattainable

physicalappearance,particularlywhenthepersuasiveintentoftheinfluencer’smessageisunknown.Theearliertheseassociationsareestablishedinlife,thehardertheymaybetoundo.65Thismayincreasesocialcomparisonorbodyimageissues,especiallyforteensand

tweens.66

Thiscouldbeduetotheparasocialrelationshipskidshavewithinfluencersoravatars,butitalsomaybeaffectedbytheirfriendsbeingonthesameplatformsand

“l(fā)iking”orcommentingonthecontentinwhichtheadsare

embedded.67

ProtectingKidsfromStealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia|StaffPerspective

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.PhysicalHarms:Physicalharmsmayoccurwhenblurredadsmarketphysicallyharmfulproductsorservices,suchastanning,tobacco,orunhealthyfoods,andthepersuasiveandculturaleffectsofembeddedadvertising,asdiscussedabove,maymakesuchproducts

more

desirable.68

.FinancialHarms:Blurreddigitaladvertisingmayleadtoaccidentalpurchases,socialoremotionalpurchases(e.g.,akidhastomakeapurchasetocompetewithanotherplayerormustbuyfoodfortheirpetinagame),orpurchaseswithoutparentalapproval(e.g.,whenakidmakesanin-apppurchaseusingtheirparents’accountor

device).69

Influencer

marketingmayspurimpulsivepurchases,with25percentoffamilyandchildpurchasesthroughinfluencershappeningthesamedaytheyseethemarketing

message.70

.PrivacyHarms:Asdiscussedabove,theuseofkids’personalinformationandtheir

intereststotargetadstothemcomplicatesakid’sabilitytorecognizeandevaluatean

ad.71Targetedadvertisingispervasiveinthedigitalworld.Evenwiththeverifiable

parentalconsentrequirementoftheChildren’sOnlinePrivacyProtectionAct(COPPA),whichmayeliminatesometargetedadvertisingtokids,72childrenunder13likelystill

receivetargetedadvertising.Thiscanbeduetonon-compliancewithCOPPAorcan

occurwhenwebsitesoronlineservicesarenotspecificallydirectedtochildrenandlackactualknowledgethattheyarecollectingdatafromthem.

.DisproportionateEffectsonCertainPopulations:Researchindicatesthatcertain

populationsmayexperiencemoresignificantimpactsfromblurredadvertising,

particularlywhenthereisanincreaseindigitalmediausage,parentshavefewer

resourcestocontributetotheirchildren’sadliteracy,Englishisnottheparents’native

language,and/orthepopulationismorelikelytobetargetedwithpotentiallyproblematicads.73

Someparticipantsandcommenterssuggestedtheidentifiedconcernsareoverstated,speculative,ormitigatedbyvariousfactors,suchasparentsactingasgatekeepersforhouseholdpurchases,orolderchildrendevelopingtheskillsneededtohelpthemidentifyandevaluateblurredadvertisingbeforemaking

purchases.74

AdditionalPolicyConsiderations

Asnotedthroughoutthisreport,blurredadvertisingthattargetschildrenposessignificantriskofdeceptionandotherharms.Ithaslongbeenthecasethatchildrenarealucrativeaudiencefor

advertisers.Indeed,researchshowsthat“spendingtomarketchildren’sproductsandservices[incontentandprogramming]...reachedmorethan$1.6billionin2022,”with70percentspentindigital

spaces.75

Butmarketersthatengageinblurredadvertisingshouldbemindfulthatwhileitmaybeprofitable,thepracticecanputchildrenatriskofharmandviolateSection5oftheFTCAct.Forthatreason,theresponsibilityforensuringlawfuladvertisingthatisfreeofdeception

restsfirstandforemostwithadvertisersthemselves.Thisisespeciallynecessarywhenan

underlyingcommercialrelationshipmayonlybeknowntotheadvertiserandcontent

creator.76

Advertisers—unlikeparentsandchildren—designthesecommercialrelationships,andcarefully

ProtectingKidsfromStealthAdvertisinginDigitalMedia|StaffPerspective

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monitortheeffectoftheiradvertisingondifferentpopulations.Theyarethereforeinthebestposition—andhavethegreatestresponsibility—topreventharmtochildren.

Inadditiontomarketers,platformsonwhichmarketingtakesplacehaveasignificantroletoplayinprotectingchildren.Platformsshouldconsiderofferingorpromotingstandardizeddisclosures,icons,orotheruniformmethodsoftransparency,andtheyshouldconsiderdeveloping,

monitoring,andenforcingpoliciestoholdcontentcreatorsaccountable.However,forsuch

effortstobeeffective,contentcreatorsandadvertiserswouldhavetocorrectlyidentifytheir

contentasapaid

promotion.77

Nomatterhowadvancedartificialintelligenceandotherdigital

toolsare,itlikelywillbeimpossibletoconfidentlyidentifymanytypesofblurredadvertising

withoutthecooperationofthecontentcreatorandthe

advertiser.78

Platformscouldhavearoleineducationaswell,giventheiruniqueabilitytoreachlarge

audiences.79

Marketersthatdodecidetoengageinblurredadvertisingshouldnotexpectthatparentsalone

canprotectchildren.Placingtheonusentirelyonparentsignoresthefactthattheymaynothavethetimeorabilitytofullymonitortheirkids’screentime,80andthatitishardertowatchoverakid’sshoulderwhentheyareonasmallscreenthanwhentheyarewatchingatelevision.In

addition,evenifparentscouldhelpincreasetheirkids’adliteracybymonitoringwhattheir

childrenwatchandeducatingthemonhowtospotanadandevaluateit,manyacknowledgethatevenadultsdonotalwaysrecognizeorcorrectlyidentifyblurred

advertising.81

Moreover,thenatureofdigitalcontentpresentschallengesformonitoring.Whereastraditionaladsaremoreeasilylocatedandreviewedfordeceptionorunfairnessandmaybeshownto

relativelylargeaudiencesthatincluderegulatorsandotherwatchdogs,blurredadsormarketingmessagesmaybetailoredto,andviewedby,verysmallaudiences.Forexample,amicro-

influencermayhaveaverysmallfol