A team of researchers from Harvard University has estimated that major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, collectively raked in around $11 billion in advertising revenue from American youth in 2022.
According to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these profits were gained at the expense of causing “adverse effects on mental health.”
This groundbreaking research is the first to provide estimates regarding the number of young users on these platforms and the substantial annual advertising revenues generated from them.
The substantial financial dependence on these platforms underscores the active participation of young users, who are more susceptible to negative mental health outcomes due to their online interactions.
These findings emphasize the pressing need for regulatory measures concerning social media platforms, particularly in cases where industry self-regulation may be insufficient.
The implications of this research underscore the responsibility of social media platforms in safeguarding the mental health and well-being of their users, especially the younger demographic.
With advertising revenues in the billions linked to youth engagement, the study underscores the importance of implementing measures to protect vulnerable users and create a digitally healthier environment.
This study is the first to offer estimates of the number of young users on these platforms and the corresponding annual advertising revenues attributed to them.
Brian Austin, a co-author of the study and a professor in Harvard’s Department of Mental Health, highlighted the growing concerns about youth mental health, suggesting that policymakers should enact legislation to curtail social media practices that may contribute to depression, anxiety, and eating disorders in young people.
Despite claims by social media platforms that they can self-regulate to mitigate harm to youth, Austin noted that “they have not done so yet, and our study suggests they have huge financial incentives to continue delaying meaningful steps to protect children.”
Researchers employed diverse data from public surveys and market research conducted in 2021 and 2022 to estimate the number of users on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, as well as their associated advertising revenues.
By utilizing demographic data from the U.S. Census and survey data, researchers estimated the number of individuals under 18 using these platforms in the United States.
The study found that in 2022, YouTube had 49.7 million users under the age of 18 residing in the United States, with TikTok having 18.9 million users, Snapchat with 18 million users, Instagram with 16.7 million users, Facebook with 9.9 million users, and X with 7 million users.
Collectively, these platforms earned nearly $11 billion in advertising revenue from these users, including $2.1 billion from users aged 12 or younger and $8.6 billion from users aged 13 to 17.
YouTube obtained the highest advertising revenue from users aged 12 or younger ($959.1 million), followed by Instagram ($801.1 million), and Facebook ($137.2 million).
Instagram secured the highest advertising revenue from users aged 13 to 17 ($4 billion), followed by TikTok ($2 billion) and YouTube ($1.2 billion).
Researchers also found that Snapchat claimed the largest share of total advertising revenues in 2022 from users under 18 (41%), followed by TikTok at 35%, and YouTube at 27%.
The lead author of the study, Amanda Raffoul, a pediatrician and professor at Harvard Medical School, emphasized that these results highlight the need for greater data transparency, along with interventions by public health authorities and government regulations.
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