Adam Kassab from Nærbø on Jæren has 18,000 followers on Instagram. There he shows off clothes, with himself as a photo model. He remembers well the first time he got paid to advertise an item on his page. It was a face mask. Using a special type of clay, it should give finer skin. Payment was 200 kroner. – At that time I said yes to everything, he thinks back. Whether it was a good product or not. Children are influencers At the time he was 15 years old. Today he is 16. But the Norwegian Consumer Agency knows that children up to the age of 13 are sponsored, if they advertise for goods. Nina Elise Dietzel, section manager in the Norwegian Consumer Agency Photo: DAG JENSSEN / DAG JENSSEN – We are aware that this is happening, says section manager Nina Elise Dietzel. The Norwegian Consumer Agency warns companies against using minors as an advertising channel. – There is no absolute ban in the legislation, but it is problematic, says the section chief. She explains that when companies use children as an advertising channel, marketing will more easily reach other children. Then companies must take into account that children are easier to influence with advertising, than adults. Dietzel also emphasizes that it is the companies that sponsor influencers on social media, who are responsible for ensuring that the posts are properly marked with “advertising”. – The influencers also have a responsibility, but it is the companies that have the main responsibility, says the section chief of the Norwegian Consumer Agency. Lena Lindgren is a journalist, commentator and author. Photo: Julie Pike Another person who tells about this is author Lena Lindgren. – When I was working on my latest book, I asked several younger instagram users. Everyone knew that with many followers, there was an offer from the company for, for example, free cloth, Lindgren says to NRK. In the book “Echo, an essay on algorithms and desires” from 2021, she writes: “Today, 13-year-olds who have more than 1000 followers on social media receive systematic offers from sponsors to market the product to friends and to their followers.” One of Kassab’s Instagram photos. Photo: Adam Kassab Not illegal Advertising for children and young people from other young influencers works. Sales of goods are increasing. – That is why companies engage in such marketing, says Håvard Kvernaas Bakken, subject director of the Advertisers’ Association ANFO. Håvard Kvernaas Bakken Photo: ANFO Annonsørforeningen He thinks it is okay, in accordance with the Marketing Act, to sponsor influencers down to the age of 13. But he also believes that companies should be careful. Especially on items that go directly to friendliness and body. – But if there are goods that have to do with good health, such as sports, then companies must be able to use young influencers, says Kvernaas Bakken. Living well as a flu Adam Kassab markets primarily clothing. He says that sometimes he gets paid, other times the payment lies in the fact that he gets to keep the clothes he gets sent. In addition, he has four sponsors he gets paid from, which he informs about on his Instagram page. Photo: Adam Kessab Adam does not want to say how much he earns on his account, but he does not need to ask for money at home. – I earn enough to go to restaurants and cinemas and things like that, he says. He does not need to buy clothes. – In addition, I manage to save some money every month, he states.
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Children are offered sponsorship on social media – NRK Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
