Many social media sites display multiple
advertisements such as banner
ads, behavior ads (ads that target people
on the basis of their Web-browsing
behavior), and demographic-based
ads (ads that target people on the basis
of a specific factor such as age,
gender, education, marital status, etc)
that influence not only the buying tendencies
of preadolescents and adolescents
but also their views of what is
normal. It is particularly important for
parents to be aware of the behavioral
ads, because they are common on social
media sites and operate by gathering
information on the person using a
site and then targeting that person’s profile to influence purchasing decisions.
Such powerful influences start
as soon as children begin to go online
and post.29 Many online venues are
now prohibiting ads on sites where
children and adolescents are participating.
It is important to educate parents,
children, and adolescents about
this practice so that children can develop
into media-literate consumers
and understand how advertisements
can easily manipulate them.