Quantitative content analysis reveals shifts in sponsored content in kidfluencer videos after COPPA settlement, highlighting new advertising strategies.
This study examines how the September 4, 2019, settlement between YouTube and New York State for violating Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Rule (COPPA) policies has impacted kidfluencer promotional strategies. Using a quantitative content analysis and a YouTube data scraping technique, we assessed popular kidfluencer channels to determine whether there were shifts in sponsored advertising that could indicate a compensation for a loss of revenue from pre- and mid-roll ads. Our analysis focused on changes in the presence of sponsored content and patterns of brand integration within the videos. The results show a significant increase in sponsorship disclosures post-settlement, suggesting that kidfluencers and brands have adapted their strategies to comply with COPPA regulations, but are now relying on less transparent formats for delivering their messages. Whereas the number of videos featuring branded products remained consistent, the rise in disclosed sponsorships raises concerns about the growing use of embedded brand advertising, which is more difficult for children and parents to recognize.
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Freeman et al. (2025) studied this question.
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