Smartphones are also an increasing option, especially as kids get access to phones of their own earlier in life. According to MTM, 24% of kids ages 7 to 11 had their own phone, while 10% of kids ages 2 to 6 had one.
Also worrisome are the ads children are exposed to on various screens. To enhance self-regulation for digital advertisers and publishers, IAB Canada, with assistance from the IAB Tech Lab, developed an ad tech solution in 2018 that lets publishers send signals through the advertising supply chain regarding risk of exposure to younger audiences. The goal is to prevent unhealthy food and beverage advertising from reaching children under 13, which is the focus of Canadian legislation governing ad practices with children.
“We created a framework that would allow publishers to signal whether or not their audience composition was at a certain risk level of having too many children,” said Sonia Carreno, president of IAB Canada. IAB Canada has educated Health Canada on the vagaries of online ads and exposure to kids.
“As a media planner, armed with appropriate industry policy guidelines (like Ad Standards Canada), you could technically flick a switch in your control to prompt a workaround. You can still advertise, but it would be in select places that are not flagged as being high risk for children's exposure,” she said.