JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Social media platforms have created a new advertising frontier, yet little is known about the extent to which this interactive form of advertising shapes adolescents’ online relationships with unhealthy food brands.

Objective:

This online experiment randomized adolescents to view and rate food ads from Instagram that featured varying numbers of “likes” and comments.

Methods:

Adolescents (ages 13-17 years; N=832) who identified as Black or non-Latinx White completed an online survey in which they were randomized to view and rate Instagram food ads that either did or did not show comments. Within each condition, adolescents were randomized to view four images that had high (>10,000), medium (1,000-10,000), or low (<100) numbers of “likes.” Adolescents reported ad preferences and willingness to engage with the brand.

Results:

Adolescents rated ads with medium or high numbers of “likes” higher than ads with few “likes” (p=0.001, p=0.002, respectively). Heavy social media users (>3 hours/day) were 6.366 times more willing to comment on ads compared to light users (p<0.001). More than half (59.7%) of adolescents reported using social media before bed and 31% of adolescents reported use while doing homework.

Conclusions:

Adolescents interact with brands in ways that mimic interactions with friends on social media, which is concerning when brands promote unhealthy products. Adolescents also preferred ads with many “likes,” demonstrating the power of social norms in shaping behavior. As proposed in 2019, the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act should expand online advertising restrictions to include adolescents ages 12 to 16 years.