Child-Targeted Digital Advertising: Between Persuasive Strategies and the Risks of Manipulation.

Abstract

In recent decades, the world has witnessed a major transformation driven by the digital revolution, where the virtual environment has become a vital space for social and economic interaction. Children have not been excluded from this shift. With the widespread integration of digital technologies in children's lives—through smartphones, tablets, video games, and social media platforms—this age group has become a primary target of digital advertising strategies. This presentation aims to examine child-directed advertising in the digital environment from multiple perspectives: psychological, social, and legal. It seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and to analyze its implications on children’s behavior, values, and psychosocial development. Due to their young age and limited ability to distinguish between advertising and entertainment or educational content, children are considered a vulnerable group that is easily influenced. Many commercial entities take advantage of this vulnerability by employing carefully designed techniques to attract children's attention and influence their consumption habits.