Moves to ban social media for under 16 year olds won't slow advertising investment, according to industry insiders.
Currently major social media platforms require users to be at least 13 years old to sign up for accounts but the age limit is not policed.
South Australia and NSW are united in lifting the minimum age on social media and prime minister Anthony Albanese has sympathised with efforts to explore age restrictions.
"Parents are worried sick about what their kids have access to online, it is a major social issue in this country," he said
The federal government committed $6.5 million in the budget to pilot “age assurance technologies” that will test the effectiveness of stricter age limits on social media.
Advertising leaders see these regulations as a positive opportunity to decrease ad wastage and boost client confidence.
The media industry has also been working to build more protections - the Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) has, since last year, worked to provide more protections for kidfluencers and family influencers when working with brands, including guidance on age-appropriate content, hours worked, schooling, permits, timelines, working with children checks and risk assessments.
Evolving regulations ensure a safer and more secure environment for everyone, Amplify co-founder and director Alex Reid says.
“While there are concerns about the changing regulatory landscape, increased attention on social media regulation provides greater security and certainty, which ultimately boosts client confidence,” Reid told AdNews.
"This increased regulation means brands can operate with more clarity."
And certainly clients are not slowing social media spending, they're intensifying it - the global social media ad spend is forecasted to increase by 47% to 111.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2029.
Instead agencies are more concerned about spending client budgets in the right, safe place for the right outcome, and these regulations can help achieve that, The Media Store chief strategy officer Sam Cousins told AdNews.
“Ad fraud and ad suitability are high on our agenda, and that includes brand safety. It also includes making sure our ads for our clients are not being shown in spaces where children might be consuming media,” Cousins said.
“We’ve had many discussions internally about the moral issues relating to social media and children.”
The 36 months campaign, started by industry talent Michael Wipfli and Rob Galluzzo, see that 60,000 people are backing this move to raise the minimum age Australian teenagers can sign up for a social media account from 13 to 16.
“But at the end of the day it is still governed by the parents,” Cousins said.
“Anyone can input the wrong date of birth and there are plenty of children on Instagram under the age of 13. Any movement to restrict apps has to come with empowerment and education for some parents or a way to govern or deny access.”
Similarly The Works head of social Emelie Lundberg agrees that simply increasing the age limits will not solve all the issues and if put into place has no effect on the advertising industry.
“Clients are not concerned about investing in social media because of these discussions and I don’t think the advertising industry needs to be concerned about lower investments from clients,” Lundberg said.
“I see this more being about us all as individuals, the government, and the platform themselves taking accountability for making social media a better place.
“As brands and marketers, we also have a responsibility for how we use the social media platforms in general, especially when marketing to younger people.
“We all need to ensure we don’t contribute to the negative sides of social media and carefully consider everything we push out and how it may affect others.
“With everything from showing more real and diverse people in ads to clearly disclosing content that has been paid for or when AI has been used.”
So how will brands come to target audiences under 16?
While traditional social media methods may change for brands focused on the under-16 demographic there are numerous alternative strategies to explore.
It’s more about evolving than abandoning social media strategies, We Are Social CEO Suzie Shaw said.
“This audience spends nearly four hours daily online, highlighting the importance of doing all we can to ensure children are only exposed to age-appropriate content and contacts,” Shaw said.
“Brands targeting under 15s might look to shift towards platforms that cater more specifically to younger users, like YouTube Kids or Roblox, which comply with age restrictions while remaining engaging for kids and teens.
“Tapping into influencers can also be an effective approach for reaching younger audiences, without stepping over regulatory lines, and ensuring the safety of young children.”
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