Young people with fewer financial resources, especially boys, are the most exposed to advertising about how to make easy money. So confirms a pioneering study by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), which has for the first time analyzed how the socioeconomic level and gender of young people influences the customized advertising they receive on TikTok and Instagram. Among other data, the study reveals that the percentage of lower-class youths who receive ads about risky financial products (15%) almost doubles that of their upper-class peers (8%).
Social media algorithms target lower-income youth with risky ‘easy money’ ads, study shows
