“Like a Human – Just Digital”: adolescents’ and parents’ perceptions of virtual influencer marketing

Purpose While the control of virtual influencers’ appearance, behaviour and beliefs is appealing to brands, it remains unclear whether consumers, particularly adolescents, can fully grasp and cope with this new form of persuasive communication. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate how adolescents perceive exposure to virtual influencer marketing and the role parents play in adolescents’ coping with persuasive mediums on social media. Design/methodology/approach Focus groups were conducted: four with adolescents (age 12–18, n = 17) and four with parents (n = 16). The focus group data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Findings reveal that adolescents experienced emotional discomfort and a sense of betrayal when exposed to virtual influencers without clear disclosure of their artificial nature, indicating that disclosure serves not only a cognitive but also a protective, emotional function. At the same time, parents expressed uncertainty and felt digitally unprepared to guide their children. Research limitations/implications While this study explores adolescents’ first exposure to virtual influencer marketing, future research should explore the perceptions of adolescents who follow or engage with virtual influencers regularly. Furthermore, future research should have a holistic perspective of parents, including parenting style as well as parental involvement. Practical implications The findings highlight the importance of clear disclosure of virtual influencers’ artificial nature to prevent emotional discomfort among adolescents and underscore the need for greater support for parents through education, platform responsibility and regulatory guidance. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study offers new insights into how adolescents and parents perceive virtual influencer marketing, highlighting perceived emotional risks, the role of disclosure and the need for shared responsibility in supporting adolescents’ media literacy.