Wanna talk about all the weird ass, some times AI generated videos that YouTube kids has? I’m sure there’s a few mind wash Chinese and Russian Trojan horses. One day someone will say skibidi toilet at just the right pitch and an entire generation of KGB agents will activate or some shit.
Inappropriate Ads on Child-Directed Websites: Weight Loss Pills and Depression Tests for Kids.
Submitted 2 days ago by Pro@programming.dev to technology@lemmy.world
https://news.rub.de/english/2025-05-15-computer-science-weight-loss-pills-and-depression-tests-kids
Comments
Plebcouncilman@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Etterra@discuss.online 2 days ago
The entire idea of ads on child media is insane and always has been. That child has no money and has no idea how to make decisions about things like purchases more complicated than “I want this shiny or tasty thing” or “all the cool kids have one.”
Capricorn_Geriatric@lemmy.world 2 days ago
The child having no money is not a problem.
Children are easily influenced and gullible.
A child will pester their parents to buy what they want, potentially for weeks.
Bombarding children with some product, even if for “grown-ups” can make them like it in the future when they’re grown up themselves. It is a very long-term strategy, but it does work since people tend to associate brands from their childhood with quality.
But I agree. Ads directed at kids always seemed distasteful to me, vut it was usually mixed in with “normal” TV or even YouTube ads. But now, when you can’t open a video on YouTube and have it play minimized because it’s “for kids”, you’d expect Google’d also make the ads at least less distasteful than on TV or “grownup” YouTube.
Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
Adding an “are you gay?” quiz to the list of inappropriate ads shown to children immediately makes me question the researcher biases and methodology. Unless those have gotten WAY spicier since I was a kid, I remember passing so many quizzes like that around with my friends at that age.
How many ads related to heterosexuality were classified as appropriate? How does that compare to their classification of LGBT ads?
WhatsTheHoldup@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
Adding an “are you gay?” quiz to the list of inappropriate ads shown to children immediately makes me question the researcher biases and methodology.
Now I’m questioning your biases.
There’s nothing wrong or inappropriate with discussing sexuality/homosexuality with your kids but it absolutely is inappropriate for advertisers to try to target children’s insecurities with “are you gay?” tests.
And these are not actual “tests”. They’re malware. You click on the “test” and a million porn pop ups will open and it starts asking for your email and phone number.
Kids should not be exposed to these. Hell, adults shouldn’t even be.
I don’t think spam pop ups need you defending its right to scam children.
How many ads related to heterosexuality were classified as appropriate?
All of them I’d hope. Those gross underwear ads, porn ads, etc. Kids should not be exposed to sexual advertisements over the internet.
It seems like you’re trying to pull a narrative out of thin air to imply the researchers are homophobic?
madjo@feddit.nl 2 days ago
It seems like you’re trying to pull a narrative out of thin air to imply the researchers are homophobic?
In the current political climate, where even just telling kids that trans and/or gay people exist seems to be seen as bad, that’s not too weird to have questions about.
Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
You’re classifying all of these as malicious by virtue of being ads, which the researchers obviously didn’t. Take that up with them.
Knowing that queer people exist and that you could be queer isn’t “sexual advertisement,” by the way. Which is why I wanted to know more about how the researchers came to the conclusion that these particular ads were inappropriate.
einkorn@feddit.org 2 days ago
Also, a depression test? Some people certainly would benefit from know that a) no showing these symptoms is neither normal nor healthy, and b) there can be something done against this.
WhatsTheHoldup@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
This thread seems scarily naive for people who are technically knowledgeable enough to be on lemmy.
depression test? Some people certainly would benefit from knowing that a) no, showing these symptoms is neither normal nor healthy, and b) there can be something done against this.
Yes, someone depressed absolutely could benefit from a psychologically administered depression test.
Do you know what they absolutely would not benefit from? A targetted ad directed at them because analytics flagged them as vulnerable which under the guise of the “depression test” gets them to enter a bunch of personal information which they sell to a bunch of spam companies so said depressed person is now getting woken up at 3 am to 30 spam calls.
And now better help is being spammed to you all over YouTube and ads and instead of going to a reputable therapist you get yourself scammed and don’t actually get the real therapist who can help.
Do you genuinely think reliable medical tests are being targeted at you through ads?
Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
Absolutely true! If the quiz contents were inappropriate in some way beyond like… acknowledging LGBT people and depression exists, I would like to hear about that part.
reksas@sopuli.xyz 2 days ago
there is really grim intent going on with targetting ads like this for kids
Fijxu@programming.dev 2 days ago
Ads on child focused apps should be banned. Because big tech literally doesn’t care about the content of the ads and they don’t regulate them. They are full of malware and there was even an ad on YouTube recommending people to install an Adblock.
Ledericas@lemm.ee 2 days ago
thats why you use ublock origin, if they are using browsers.
reseller_pledge609@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Pi-hole or AdGuard Home on your local network as well as some kind of DNS filtering on all of your devices for when you’re away from home.
All of this goes along with uBlock Origin on a Firefox-based browser. Block as thoroughly and effectively as you possibly can.