Unlike what happens in traditional media, there are no specific rules for children’s advertising online. On March 27, experts from Procon, Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (Idec), Instituto Alana, Cásper Líbero, and Pereira Neto Advogados gathered at FGV’s Sao Paulo Law School (Direito SP) to discuss the subject, presenting cases and research studies that show how companies are benefiting from the lack of regulation to advertise their products on the video platform.

“If the platform states that it’s not intended for people older than 18, there is a disparity here”, said Instituto Alana lawyer, Pedro Hartung, after reviewing YouTube’s terms of access during the event’s opening lecture. Children between the ages of 0 and 12 already amount to more than 50 billion views on the platform, according a survey by ESPM MEDIA LAB. “Nowadays, the most sought-after events are those involving YouTubers”, he said.

During the presentation, Hartung also talked about how the kids that create this type of content are exposed to the stress of common work. Also representing Instituto Alana, lawyer Livia Cattaruzzi emphasized the dangers of children accessing this content and how companies are taking advantage of this moment. “Access is completely unrestricted. You don’t have to sign up to watch the videos”, she explained.

According to Cattaruzzi, displaying children’s daily lives under the pretext of ‘unboxing’ (term used for videos that show children unwrapping toys) caught the attention of viewers and, as a result, of companies as well. The studies presented during the event showed that children are unable to identify advertising content.

Claudia Pontes de Almeida, from Idec, talked about the audience of these channels. She mentioned a channel that has more than 5 million subscribers and a main viewer base of children under 10. In the videos, we can see mother and daughter interacting with products such as school supplies, among other activities. According to the expert, what appears to be spontaneous is nothing more than corporate strategy. “The child sees the YouTuber as a friend”, she said.