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New data collection methods and processing capabilities facilitate online personalization of advertisements but also challenge youth’s understanding of how these methods work. Teenagers are often unaware of the commercial use of their personal information and are susceptible to the persuasive effects of personalized advertising. This raises questions about their ability to engage in privacy-protecting behaviors. This article examines teenagers’ coping responses to commercial data collection and subsequent personalized advertising, considering their limited knowledge. Ten focus groups with 35 teenagers aged 12–14 were conducted. The findings show that teenagers hold certain folk theories (i.e., incomplete and/or inaccurate representations of reality) about how and why their personal information is being collected for commercial purposes (e.g., commercial data collection is unavoidable or all principles of privacy statements are the same). Their coping responses regarding commercial data collection (e.g., limiting information disclosure or refusing to accept privacy policies) and personalized advertising (e.g., trying to change settings or avoiding interaction) are often based on these folk theories and embedded in their everyday practices. Despite teenagers’ efforts, we argue that their responses might not always be effective. Implications for educators, advertisers, and policymakers are discussed.

Sponsored vlogs (video blogs that embed advertising) are increasingly targeting young adolescents and challenging their abilities to critically process advertising. This study examined the impact of an advertising disclosure on young adolescents' advertising literacy (i.e., advertising recognition and affective advertising literacy) for sponsored vlogs. In addition, the underlying mechanisms, including advertising literacy and influencer effects (i.e., influencer trustworthiness and parasocial interaction [PSI]), that can explain the influence on advertising effects (i.e., purchase intention) were examined. Finally, the moderating impact of a peer-based advertising literacy intervention was investigated through an informational vlog about advertising. The results of a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental study (advertising disclosure: no disclosure versus disclosure; peer-based advertising literacy intervention: regular versus informational vlog) with 160 young adolescents (ages 11 to 14) showed that an advertising disclosure increased young adolescents' recognition of advertising and their affective advertising literacy for sponsored vlogs, and that only affective advertising literacy negatively affected influencer effects (influencer trustworthiness and PSI) and subsequently purchase intention. Regarding the moderating role of this peer-based advertising literacy intervention, this study showed that an advertising disclosure can also have positive effects on the influencer and subsequently on advertising effects when young adolescents are informed about advertising through an informational vlog.

The current study examines and compares children's (ages 7-12) responses to television commercials, online banners, advergames and native advertisements. In addition, children's cognitive, affective and moral advertising literacy is examined and compared. Furthermore, the current study investigates the moderating role of age. Finally, it is examined how the different dimensions of advertising literacy affect advertising effectiveness. The results show that children are most susceptible to advergames, and are the least affected by television commercials. Moreover, they have most difficulties recalling the brand when exposed to online banners. Children also show more difficulties recognizing and understanding online advertising compared to traditional advertising; however, they do have a good understanding of online banners. In general, children's level of affective and moral advertising literacy is very low, both for traditional and online advertising. Finally, especially affective and moral advertising literacy make children less susceptible to advertising.

Purpose This study aims to examine young children’s (ages 4 to 7) knowledge and skills (i.e. their advertising literacy) for television (TV) commercials, YouTube pre-roll ads and influencer marketing. Furthermore, this study explores how parental perceptions and practices and children’s social abilities influence the development of their advertising literacy. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with parents (N = 35) and their child(ren) (ages 4 to 7, N = 40). Findings Results revealed preschool children have advertising literacy skills for TV commercials and YouTube pre-roll ads, but not for influencer marketing. These skills are limited to advertising recognition based on perceptual cues and a simple understanding of selling intent. Children’s advertising skills evolved according to age but did not relate to social development. Furthermore, advertising literacy was related to parental media mediation: the more restrictive parents were regarding media use, the less advertising literacy their children appeared to have. No moral reflections regarding advertising were found among the preschool children. Originality/value This study fills significant gaps in the literature on young children and advertising. It conducts a qualitative investigation into young children’s knowledge of digital advertising formats (pre-roll ads and influencer marketing) and how they differ from traditional advertising (TV commercials). Furthermore, it takes both parental influences and social developmental variables into account.

Purpose This study aims to examine adolescents’ (between 12 and 18 years) perceptions of their knowledge and skills related to advertising (i.e. dispositional advertising literacy). More specifically, adolescents’ beliefs about their recognition and understanding of advertising (cognitive facet), their emotional reaction to advertising (affective facet) and their moral evaluation of advertising (moral facet) were investigated together with their beliefs about the way they resist advertising. Design/methodology/approach A large-scale survey was conducted, taking information from 2,602 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years. Findings The findings show that adolescents believe they can recognize advertising reasonably well and have a moderate understanding of it. They tend to be negative toward advertising, perceive it as an unfair practice and claim to resist it strongly. In addition, adolescents’ self-reported moral and affective advertising literacy positively affect advertising resistance. Adolescents’ cognitive advertising literacy increases with the number of different media device types owned, and cognitive and moral advertising literacy increase with age. Originality/value This study is one of the first to examine adolescents’ beliefs about their dispositional advertising literacy. Most previous studies examined advertising literacy among young children (under 12 years) or adults after exposure to a specific advertising format (i.e. situational advertising literacy), while this study focuses on adolescents’ self-reported levels of cognitive, moral and affective dispositional advertising literacy. In addition, the focus on resistance strategies to examine how adolescents resist advertising is unique.

Via three studies, this article aims to develop and test an advertising disclosure which is understandable for children (ages six to 12 years old) and which can alert them to different types of advertising in multiple media formats. First, cocreation workshops with 24 children (ages eight to 11 years old) were held to determine a selection of disclosure designs based on insights from the target group. Second, two eye-tracking studies among 32 children (ages six to 12 years old) were conducted to test which of these disclosure designs attracted the most attention when the disclosures were integrated into a media context. These studies led to the selection of the final advertising disclosure: a black rectangular graphic with the word Reclame! (i.e., Dutch for \"Advertising!\") in yellow letters. Finally, a two-by-two, between-subjects experimental study (disclosure design: existing versus child-inspired advertising disclosure; advertising format: brand placement versus online banner advertising) with 157 children (ages 10 and 11 years old) was performed to test the effectiveness of the child-inspired disclosure by comparing it with existing ones. This study not only showed that children recognized, understood, and liked the child-inspired disclosure better than the existing ones, but they were also better able to recognize advertising after exposure to this child-inspired advertising disclosure.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the immediate and delayed effects of advertising literacy training on children’s cognitive advertising literacy for an embedded advertising format, product placement and, subsequently, its persuasive effects. In addition, this study explored whether this effect is moderated by children’s general advertising liking. The study also investigated whether the effects of training were dependent on children’s ages. Design/methodology/approach The present study is conducted using a three (training session: control condition vs advertising literacy training with immediate ad exposure vs advertising literacy training with ad exposure after one week) by two (age: 7-8 years vs 10-11 years) between-subjects experimental design. Findings The results of the experimental study showed that advertising literacy training increases children’s cognitive advertising literacy for product placement for both younger and older children and both immediately and delayed (measured after one week). In addition, cognitive advertising literacy had an influence on the effectiveness of product placement (i.e. purchase request) when children’s general ad liking was low, though not when it was high. No moderating effects of age were found. Practical implications This study shows that advertising literacy training sessions can improve children’s cognitive advertising literacy for non-traditional, embedded advertising formats. Originality/value This study is one of the first to examine and confirm the immediate and delayed effects of advertising literacy training sessions on children’s cognitive advertising literacy for non-traditional advertising formats.

Many public health concerns arise that the sponsorship of sports by gambling brands may normalize gambling in society and therefore enhance gambling rates. However, to the best of our knowledge, no research has yet empirically investigated how gambling sports sponsorships affect young adults, and how they contribute to the normalization of gambling. The current study investigates how team identification affects young adults' affective responses toward the gambling sponsor, their normative perceptions of gambling and their commitment toward the gambling sponsor (i.e., long-term behavioral and attitudinal disposition toward the brand). In addition, we also examine the moderating role of team performance. We conducted a 2 (team identification: low versus high) by 2 (team performance: win versus loss) between-subjects quasi-experimental design among 182 young adults (18 to 29 years). The results show that highly-identified fans have a more positive attitude toward the gambling sponsor (compared to young adults with a low team identification), which further enhances their normative perceptions of gambling and their commitment toward the gambling sponsor. There were no moderating effects of team performance.

Multitasking with media is a prevalent media consumption behavior among youngsters. However, it has been argued that also children and adults (up to 65 years old) often engage in media multitasking. The current study examines children's versus adults' switching behavior when media multitasking (combination of tablet and laptop). In addition, it is investigated how media multitasking affects advertising avoidance (measured by eyetracking) and subsequently cognitive advertising effects. Finally, it is investigated how moral advertising literacy affects attitudinal advertising effects in a media multitasking context. A 2 (age category: children versus adults) by 2 (task: single tasking versus media multitasking) between-subjects experiment was conducted among 121 participants between 8 and 65 years old. The results show that children switch more often between different media devices than adults when media multitasking, both during the commercial and non-commercial content. In addition, both children and adults devoted less attention toward the ad when media multitasking compared to single tasking, although the effect was stronger for adults. Subsequently, this decreased attention towards the ad resulted in less brand recognition. Finally, although there was no difference in moral advertising literacy between children and adults, moral advertising literacy did decrease attitude toward the ad and increased ad irritation only in the single tasking context and not in the media multitasking context regardless of the age of the participants. The Limited Capacity Theory (Lang, 2000) and insights related to ad avoidance in previous studies are used as theoretical frameworks.