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Advertising in Young Children's Apps: A Content Analysis.
Marisa Meyer1, Victoria Adkins2, Nalingna Yuan1
1Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI.
Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|October 30, 2018
Summary
Most children's apps (95%) feature advertising, often using manipulative tactics like pop-up videos and misleading symbols. This study highlights concerns regarding advertising in mobile apps for young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric digital media use
- Mobile application advertising
- Child-computer interaction
Background:
- Young children use mobile devices extensively, averaging one hour daily.
- Previous research has not examined the prevalence of advertising within children's mobile applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and describe the types and prevalence of advertising content in popular mobile applications designed for young children.
- To assess advertising methods used in children's apps, focusing on manipulative and disruptive techniques.
Main Methods:
- A coding scheme was developed and refined through iterative analysis by two researchers (interrater reliability 0.96).
- The scheme was applied to 135 popular free and paid apps in the '5 And Under' category on the Google Play store.
- Data collection involved playing each app and documenting advertisement design and characteristics.
Main Results:
- A high prevalence of advertising was found, with 95% of reviewed apps containing at least one form of advertisement.
- Common advertising types included commercial characters (42%), full-app teasers (46%), disruptive videos (35%), and in-app purchases (30%).
- Advertising was more prevalent in free apps (100%) compared to paid apps (88%), with similar rates in 'educational' and other app categories.
Conclusions:
- The study identified widespread use of manipulative and disruptive advertising methods in children's mobile applications.
- These findings have significant implications for the regulation of advertising, parental guidance on media consumption, and the assessment of educational value in apps.
- Further research is needed to understand the long-term impact of such advertising on child development.