Top social media companies made BILLIONS advertising to minors
(Pexels)
By Will Kessler
Daily Caller News Foundation
Major social media companies collectively made nearly $11 billion in advertising revenue from American individuals under the age of 18 in 2022, according to a study from Harvard published on Wednesday.
Researchers analyzed market data and used public surveys to estimate the amount of money that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube generated off of advertisements targeted towards minors on the platforms in the U.S., according to a release from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Around $2.1 billion of the revenue was generated by kids under the age of 12, while $8.6 billion was generated from users between the ages of 13 and 17.
“Our finding that social media platforms generate substantial advertising revenue from youth highlights the need for greater data transparency as well as public health interventions and government regulations,” Amanda Raffoul, lead author of the study and instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, said in the release.
Social Media Companies Generated $11B In Ad Revenue From U.S. Minors In 2022 https://t.co/HSj5m6sfxQ pic.twitter.com/w3UNIRkkFf
— Paul Mosenson (@NuSparkMktg) December 27, 2023
YouTube had the highest quantity of underage U.S. users at 49.7 million in 2022, followed by TikTok and Snapchat at 18.9 million and 18 million, respectively, according to the release. YouTube amassed nearly $1 billion in ad revenue from users under 12, the highest in that category among the social media companies, while Instagram generated the largest amount of ad revenue from users aged 13 to 17, at $4 billion.
Snapchat had the highest share of its total ad revenue from minors in 2022, making up 41%, followed by TikTok and YouTube at 35% and 27%, respectively, according to the release.
Some states have sought to limit minors’ exposure to social media, including Utah, which passed two bills this year that add age restrictions and require parental consent and age verification to access the sites. A trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and X sued the state, arguing the restrictions violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments, claiming they infringe on free expression rights and access to public content.
Arkansas passed a bill in April requiring social media companies to obtain parental consent when setting up new user accounts for minors. Ohio passed a law taking effect on Jan. 15, 2024, requiring that social media companies receive parental consent when making accounts for kids under the age of 16, according to the Ohio Attorney General.
Meta, Snapchat, X, TikTok and Google did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
This story originally was published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
IMPORTANT NOTE TO WND READERS: America – long the freest, most prosperous, powerful, altruistic and Christian nation on earth – is on the brink of destruction. Every decent and aware American adult knows this. The evidence is everywhere.
Democrat politicians today overwhelmingly favor late-term abortion up to the very moment of birth – formerly known as "infanticide." They encourage children too young to drive or vote to have their breasts and/or sex organs amputated in pursuit of a "gender transition" that is both delusional and impossible, and which leads to staggering rates of depression and suicide. They have not just allowed, but ENGINEERED, a full-scale foreign invasion of America across her southern border.
Their standard bearer, President Joe Biden – a senile, pathologically dishonest and epically corrupt career political hack – is destroying America's economy, energy sector, military, law enforcement, election integrity, national security, Constitution and overall national wellbeing as rapidly as possible. At the same time, Team Biden demonizes and, increasingly, IMPRISONS critics as "violent extremists," "domestic terrorists," "white supremacists" and "insurrectionists." Indeed, they're currently engaged in an obviously corrupt multi-front legal war against Biden's chief political rival, Donald J. Trump, in an attempt to send the 45th president of the United States to prison for the rest of his life.
None of this constitutes "politics" in any conventional or traditional American sense. Rather, it is all darkly spiritual. The greatest nation on earth is in the throes of a full-blown spiritual war between good and evil.
The big question, then, is WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE AMERICA? Fortunately, real answers and uncommon wisdom are showcased in the December issue of WND's critically acclaimed monthly Whistleblower magazine, "CAN AMERICA BE SAVED? The world's freest, most Christian nation is on the brink of destruction."
In this very special issue, readers will experience the best and deepest thoughts and strategies on how to restore America to her former goodness and greatness, from some of the nation's most respected analysts – everyone from Tucker Carlson to Dennis Prager to Victor Davis Hanson to Newt Gingrich and many more.
WHISTLEBLOWER is available in both the popular print edition and a state-of-the-art digital version, either single issues or discounted annual subscriptions.
For 25 years, WND has boldly brought you the news that really matters. If you appreciate our Christian journalists and their uniquely truthful reporting and analysis, please help us by becoming a WND Insider!
SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!
The post Top social media companies made BILLIONS advertising to minors appeared first on WND.