Social networks act as digital search engines and promote purchases among the little ones. Children between 12 and 17 years old go to platforms such as Instagram or TikTok to learn about online products and, finally, one in two of them buys them. 66% of underage consumers search for information about products or services and 50% acknowledge having been influenced by social platforms to purchase. Those of legal age, however, are less influenced by these spending habits. This is revealed in the report presented this Wednesday by the communication, marketing and digital advertising industry association IAB Spain in Madrid.
The study analyzes, through 1,200 interviews with users and professionals between 12 and 74 years old, the evolution of social networks, user profiles, advertising and links with brands, among other aspects. The preferred networks of users aged 12 to 17 in the last month are WhatsApp, TikTok and YouTube, although they use 5.2 on average per month when Instagram and Spotify are added. The minors dedicate one hour and ten minutes of their time to all of them a day. This year, minors search for more information and buy more on the Internet than last year. The upward trend is reflected when comparing the data with that of the edition of the same report last year 2023, which revealed that 52% of them seek information before purchasing, 14 points below this year, and that 43% had bought thanks to the networks, 7 points lower than the average for this year.
Although the following of brands on social networks increases compared to last year, when it comes to using social platforms as purchasing channels, the general public is somewhat more reluctant: only 14% admit to having purchased through Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. “Understanding where and how digital attention is captured is essential to adapt and improve marketing strategies,” says Daniel Dévai, CEO of Epsilon Technologies, one of the authors of the study. There is also a rise in a very popular practice in China: lifestreaming, which consists of promoting products through live connections and with direct access to purchase. As a marketing strategy, its best audience is adolescents between 12 and 17 years old.
Networks and health
Shopping and social networks are two of the main online addictions, along with video games, betting, gambling and sex, according to Francisco Ferre, head of the psychiatry service at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid, in a report from the National Observatory of Technology and Information Society (ONTSI). Excessive use interferes with all facets of life and addiction can present symptoms such as the need for increased use and consumption, as well as withdrawal syndrome, difficulties in quitting, despite knowing its negative effects, and modification of the state of cheer up. Furthermore, 11.3% of the population between 15 and 24 years old is at high risk of making compulsive use of digital services and this increases to 33% in the case of people between 12 and 16 years old.
Other mental health risks associated with a greater frequency and intensity of use of social networks, according to ONTSI data, is that the possibility of falling into harmful and even criminal behavior increases, with direct consequences on mental health. such as assault or harassment. The possibility of empathizing with other people is also reduced and the possibility of falling into misinformation increases.
On the positive side, these social platforms can eliminate communication barriers, serve as a means of expression, or stimulate creativity. A 2023 study by the Pew Research Center trends research center highlights that, for most adolescents, social networks help them feel more accepted, as if they have people who can support them in difficult times and are a place to show their creative side and be more connected with what is happening in the lives of their friends.