Abstract:

This paper argues that YouTubers limit a child’s personal development of their identity through manipulative marketing techniques and playing on their vulnerability. As influencers grow in popularity and target their videos towards younger children it has become more important than ever to make sure this content is regulated, and parents need to know what their child is being influenced by. This paper looks at the case study of Jake Paul, a popular influencer with a young audience who is known for using manipulative marketing techniques and selling unethical products to children. It also looks at the case study of Mr Beast and how he too uses unethical marketing techniques in his videos. In a world where an increasing number of children are steering away from traditional media such as television for entertainment, it is so important that this content is regulated so that young children can develop their identity without negative influence.

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Influencers on YouTube are role-models, idols and even best-friends to many young children. The group more commonly known as YouTubers create communities for their young followers to identify with. In order for Influencers to make a living out of their online presence they need to foster relationships with advertisers. They are reliant of their followers making purchases in order to keep the relationship with advertisers.  In this case the target is children which raises ethical concerns about the relationship. While my paper addresses social media, it is primarily focused on identity. “Social and digital media … are increasingly used to reach young consumers given their broad adoption and reach,” (Korn, 2021, p.6) which is why it is a concern that there are limited regulations when it comes to advertising on these sites. The advertising these influencers are presenting to children is not regulated in the same way they are in mainstream media such as television. Manipulative marketing techniques are being used on young children to keep them engaged in YouTube content. Children are more likely to be fed false information or scams due to the relationship they feel they have with influencers. Influencers and advertising that target children on YouTube are negatively impacting children’s personal identity growth, by building a relationship that entices developing minds to identify with the influencer themselves and their advertising.

Advertising rules in traditional media such as television, are in place to protect children. According to the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA, 2022) a child is any person 14 years or younger. The Australian Communications and Media Authorities (ACMA) states that advertising during children’s programs can be shown for “5 minutes for every 30 minutes of C-classified (non-drama) programs and 6 minutes and 30 seconds for every 30 minutes of C-classified drama programs.” (ACMA, 2020) This is however only for television and in today’s society “online video platforms have surpassed television as the primary choice for screen viewing among children.” (Tan, 2018, p.1) YouTube does have their own regulations about advertising they state that if a creator includes a “paid product placements, endorsements, sponsorships … you have to let us know by selecting the paid promotion box in your video details.” (YouTube, 2021, p.1) The example of Jake Paul provides a case study of a Youtuber taking advantage of their young audience and marketing products towards them. Jake Paul first found fame through the app Vine, where he would make comedy videos, he then transitioned to YouTube in 2016 where he grew a large following. (Rosenlund, 2016, p.68) Paul makes content that caters to a younger audience, with fast pace editing, sound effects and simplistic story lines. He is known for making videos that are not always appropriate for his young audience and has been called out by the media for this before. Nerd city who is also a YouTuber, analysed one of Paul’s videos ‘THE BEST SONG WE’VE MADE YET…’  Nerd City analysed that in a 13 minute and 50 second video 7 minutes are adverting. (Nerdcity, 2018) Paul is seen wearing his merch for majority of the video and referencing it and prompting viewers to buy his new merch at his website. He also makes mention to his tour numerous times within the first 2 minutes and at one point just yells “tour, tour, tour!” repeatedly. (Paul, 2018, 1:25) When applying the ACMA’s regulations for advertising during children’s programs, Jake Paul’s content would not comply with regulations. (GOOGLE, 2021) For young developing minds, it can be hard to differentiate between what is targeted advertising and what is just their favourite YouTuber recommending a product. Due to this unregulated advertising, children are being promoted products that aren’t fit for them. In 2019 Jake Paul, who is very popular among the younger users of YouTube, posted a sponsored video for the brand ‘Mystery Brand’. This brand was essentially a gambling website, where users would gamble between $2 to $1300 on mystery box items. (Cuthbertson, 2019). As YouTube is a platform with open access to anyone, meaning you don’t need an account, it is difficult for the platform to have specific guidelines for children’s content.  YouTube has demonstrated some conscious effort in trying to minimise the problem is through the YouTube Kids platform. YouTube kids provides a filtered version of YouTube that is appropriate for ages 4 to 12. (YouTube, 2022) With three different categories of content, preschool, younger and older, it allows parents to give their child access to age-appropriate content and not have to constantly monitor what their child is watching. The initiative from YouTube can be commended however it is not a fool proof site, with the algorithm not being able to pick up on every video, some fall through the cracks. The issue will not be addressed broadly without ongoing commitment and action for change.

YouTubers and Influencers generally are skilled at creating communities through their content and platforms. (Rosen, 2022, p.20) Children view these YouTubers as role models and friends. They feel that they know them on a deep personal level and therefore build a trust as the audience feels they know them like they know a friend. (Leite, 2021, p.9) This creates an imbalance of power between the viewer, being the child and the influencer. In the case of Jake Paul, he builds a community through his content. Dubbing his viewers, the Jake Paulers, it creates this sense of belonging, like the viewer is part of a close circle of friends. (Rosenlund, 2016, p.68) Many YouTubers give their fans or community a name, such as Logan Paul, the Logan or LaurDIY the Pretty Little Laurs. This sense of connection and community allows for a trust between the influencer and viewer. When this relationship is between a YouTuber and child the child is more vulnerable in this situation and therefore is more susceptible to marketing techniques and manipulation. Looking at our focus influencer for this paper, Jake Paul, in 2017 he launched a program called ‘edfluence’. Through promotion in his videos, he encouraged his young audience to sign up to this program where they could learn all the tips and tricks of becoming an influencer just like him. He was essentially selling this false reality that with a few videos you too could be a successful YouTuber. The program also pushed this concept of an elite community called Team 1000, a spin of Jake Pauls content house Team 10. The concept was that by paying the $64 joining fee you would be able to be part of this new wave of creators. (Drew Gooden, 2020) Of course, any child looking up to their role model would love the chance to do what they do and to be in an exclusive community with them. Team 1000 however never occurred and instead resulted in children and their parents being scammed. (Drew Gooden, 2020) A sense of community is so important to children and when their role model is offering them the chance to join an even tighter knitted community through manipulative marketing techniques. The susceptibility the child has by trusting this figure is taken advantage of. There are little to no punishments for YouTubers that do so, nor is there any regulation to stop it from happening in the first place. “Vlogs are not as authentic as often they appear, rather they are performances made by amateur or professional entertainers,” (Rosenlund, 2016, p.71) but many children struggle to tell the difference between a genuine recommendation and marketing. In the case of Jake Paul when respected children’s entertainment companies endorse and support the creator parents assume that their content must be suitable for their children.

When trust is built between a YouTuber and a child, they are more susceptible to being taken advantage of by marketing techniques. Advertising or Marketing Communication to Children “must not use popular personalities or celebrities (live or animated) to endorse, recommend, promote or advertise or market Products or Premiums in a manner that obscures the distinction between commercial promotions and program or editorial content.” (AANA, 2022) YouTube in video advertising goes against this regulation. Sponsored posts or ‘merch plugs’ are a clear example of this type of regulation being broken. Mr Beast is a case study that reflects this unethical advertising. Mr Beast is a YouTube channel with 92.5 million subscribers, he has a large reach to a wide audience. With an audience primarily under the age of 18 and content catering to children with bright colours, fast pace and sound effects, Mr Beast is the ideal children’s influencer, which makes him really appealing to advertisers. The brand Honey (an online coupon browser extension) has been known to sponsor many of the videos on the Mr Beast channel, and while the brand isn’t problematic, they are still using a popular personality to promote their product to children. Mr Beast also promotes his own brands, such as Beast Burgers. Some children watching him would aspire to live his lavish life style, which appears full of fun, games and giving away lots of free stuff from cars to houses to not only his friends but his followers. They are drawn to his community and how he involves them so much in his videos, which means they are also drawn to his brand. Children naturally want to support and obtain as much of his products as they can so they can be ‘just like him’ and maybe one day be giving away houses or opening their own fast-food chains. They support him and his content to feel part of the community. For example, by wearing merchandise of their favourite YouTuber they want to represent their online community and identity to make real world connections. Erikson’s theory of ego identity is the idea that an identity is based on life experiences and social interactions (Gold, 2014, p. 32) so when children are gaining their life experiences and social interactions through YouTube and influencers it can have some impact on constructing their own identity. When these role models, in this case influencers are telling them to act like them, buy what they buy, wear what they wear, it creates a structured environment that leaves very little room for the child to find their own identity. “The world of digital technology adds an entire sphere of environmental stimuli that will shape the brains of our children” (Gold, 2014, p.31) and this applies to Youtubers influencing developing minds. Children typically don’t have their own income to spend on all these products, they ask their parents for them. This is another marketing tactic used when advertising to children. The advertising is fun and exciting to draw in the child’s attention and then the parents wanting to please their children buy it for them. The case study of Jake Paul and his ‘edfluence’ program, parents would pay for access to the program for their child, but once they entered the program, they would then have to pay more money to unlock the special features. This is a tactic seen a lot in mobile games, where the joining fee is very little or free but then you have to pay to essentially unlock the parts of the game that are interesting or help you level up.

YouTube should be directed to implement more guidelines and regulations to ensure that children watching content published on their site aren’t being manipulated and taken advantage of. It is critical that children are free to develop and explore their own personalities and identities without the influence of YouTubers who can only provide them with limited examples of life experiences and social interaction. The case study of Jake Paul, highlights that many YouTubers prey on the vulnerabilities of a young audience in order to market them products that benefit the influencer. These unethical practices need to have repercussions and if children continue to move away from traditional entertainment like TV, there needs to be regulations that protect them from being manipulated. As this platform continues to grow and attract children the same standards and regulations must be applied to ensure that risk is minimised, and the power imbalance is addressed.

References

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