U.S. Social Media Firms Netted $11-B From Minors: Harvard

Social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in US advertising revenue from minors last year, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published recently, as reported by Barbara Ortutay and Haleluya Hadero for the Associated Press (AP).

The researchers estimated the number of users under 18 on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube in 2022.

The researchers argue that the findings underscore the need for regulation of social media, as the firms that stand to make money from children using their platforms have failed to self-regulate.

They suggest that regulations and transparency from tech firms could help mitigate harm to youth mental health and curtail harmful advertising practices targeting children and adolescents.

The researchers estimated the number of users under 18 on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube in 2022 based on population data from the U.S. Census and survey data from Common Sense Media and Pew Research.

According to the Harvard study, YouTube derived the greatest ad revenue from users 12 and under ($959.1 million), followed by Instagram ($801.1 million) and Facebook ($137.2 million).

Instagram, meanwhile, derived the greatest ad revenue from users aged 13-17 ($4 billion), followed by TikTok ($2 billion) and YouTube ($1.2 billion).

The researchers also estimate that Snapchat derived the greatest share of its overall 2022 ad revenue from users under 18 (41%), followed by TikTok (35%), YouTube (27%), and Instagram (16%).

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