A Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health-led investigation disclosed that social media firms generated approximately $11 billion in advertisement earnings from American minors in 2022.
This significant income stream highlights the vast monetary gains these platforms achieve from young user engagement.
The study, spearheaded by social and behavioral sciences professor Bryn Austin, underscores the urgent necessity for more stringent oversight and openness in social media operations to safeguard the mental well-being of children and adolescents.
Despite platforms’ claims of self-regulation to mitigate youth harm, the research indicates their substantial economic motives to postpone effective protective measures.
Utilizing public surveys and market analysis, the researchers estimated underage user numbers and corresponding ad revenues for major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (previously Twitter), and YouTube.
These platforms’ known hesitation to share user data with researchers and media professionals is a well-acknowledged issue.
This revelation emerges amid a national surge in youth social media usage, sparking debates from Capitol Hill to presidential discussions. It coincides with the U.S. Surgeon General’s May advisory on young individuals’ mental health concerning social media. This has led to a rare bipartisan initiative in Congress to regulate tech corporations.
In a detailed assessment of youth users and related advertisement income, the study employed data from sources like Common Sense Media, Pew Research, eMarketer, Qustodio, and the U.S. Census Bureau.
It found that YouTube led in revenue from users aged 12 and under, reaching $959 million, while Instagram topped in earnings from teens aged 13-17 at $4 billion.
The investigation also compared social media app usage durations, revealing TikTok as the most used by youngsters, averaging 99 minutes daily. An earlier Gallup survey noted that the average U.S. teenager spends about 4.8 hours daily on these platforms.
Remarkably, around 41% of Snapchat’s total ad revenue in 2022 came from users under 18, with TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram following suit. Facebook and Twitter, however, derived merely 2% of their yearly ad earnings from minors.
Google, the parent company of YouTube, remained silent on the study’s findings but highlighted its efforts in safeguarding young users, including disabling targeted ads for those under 18 and stringent advertising guidelines on YouTube Kids.
The study concluded that social media firms are greatly motivated to maintain youth presence online due to the lucrative ad revenues.
It also raised alarms about the vast data collection for targeted ads and the lack of sufficient regulatory enforcement, emphasizing the need for enhanced data transparency, public health initiatives, and governmental regulations.
