Why harmful content keeps reaching children online - and what advertising has to do with it

"Most online platforms appear free to use, but they are largely funded through advertising. The longer users stay online, the more adverts they see and the more valuable they become to advertisers. As a result, platform design is shaped by what scholars call the "attention economy" - a system in which human attention is the resource being bought and sold."

"Research consistently shows that emotionally charged content - material that provokes fear, outrage, anxiety or shock - generates higher engagement. Studies of recommender systems have found that algorithmic ranking tends to amplify content that keeps users emotionally activated, regardless of its social value (or otherwise)."

"For children, the consequences can be more serious because their online habits and emotional responses are still developing. Young people are more sensitive to social comparison, distressing narratives and emotionally intense material. When recommendation systems detect that a young user pauses on, searches for or engages with such content, they often respond by delivering more of it."

Most online platforms operate through an attention economy where user engagement drives advertising revenue. Algorithms are designed to maximize time spent online rather than distinguish between helpful and harmful content. This "surveillance capitalism" model collects behavioral data to predict and influence user behavior for profit. Emotionally charged content—material provoking fear, outrage, anxiety, or shock—generates higher engagement and algorithmic amplification. Children face particular vulnerability because their emotional responses and online habits are still developing. Young people are more susceptible to social comparison and distressing narratives. When recommendation systems detect engagement with harmful content, they typically deliver more similar material, creating escalating exposure cycles.

Read at The Conversation