DAK Study: Influencers and Social Media Shape Online Shopping of Children and Adolescents

Most frequently, children and adolescents buy clothing, shoes, and accessories online (66.9 percent). This is followed by electronic products (43.6 percent), media and entertainment offerings (31.2 percent), and beauty and personal care products (29.7 percent). The most popular platform is said to be Amazon, but Chinese platforms such as Temu or Shein also made it into the top 5. According to the study's authors, these primarily advertise with low prices and also use elements of gambling.

The study also examines the extent of problematic buying habits. Girls are somewhat more frequently affected at 1.3 percent compared to boys at 1.0 percent. Almost four in ten children and adolescents browse online shops at least once a week, according to their own statements, and 28.5 percent of 14- to 17-year-olds buy something online at least once a month. About a quarter (26.3 percent) spend between 21 and 50 euros per month, around a third (32.1 percent) spend between 10 and 20 euros monthly. 12.2 percent of those surveyed spend up to 1,200 euros per year.

Problem Purchases and Spending

More than three-quarters of adolescents, however, state that they never or only irregularly shop online. The study's leadership emphasizes that young people are particularly susceptible to manipulative mechanisms promoting consumption due to their neurobiological and psychological development. Kerstin Paschke, study director and Medical Director of the German Center for Addiction Issues in Childhood and Adolescence (DZSKJ) at the UKE, explains: „Junge Menschen sind aufgrund ihrer neurobiologischen und psychologischen Entwicklung besonders empfänglich für diese manipulativen Mechanismen zur Konsumförderung."

Paschke adds that purchasing decisions often arise from the interplay of social orientation toward influencers and algorithmically influenced desires and impulses. She sees this as a particular challenge, as algorithms on social media specifically reinforce consumer incentives. DAK-Gesundheit and the UKE intend to use the evaluation to create a data basis for prevention programs.

Demands for Media Education and Regulation

Andreas Storm, CEO of DAK-Gesundheit, draws clear demands for media education from the results. „Wenn Kaufimpulse vor allem über soziale Medien entstehen, müssen Kinder und Jugendliche lernen, Werbung und kommerzielle Interessen dahinter zu erkennen", he said. Storm advocates for making young users more aware of advertising intentions and the business models behind influencer content.

The study's authors also point to the role of Chinese providers such as Temu and Shein, which court customers with particularly low prices and partly gambling-like elements. These mechanisms could exert a strong attraction especially on young people, the study warns. Platforms based outside the European Union also make effective control more difficult.

Overall, the researchers assess the trend as a growing societal problem, even though the proportion of those classified as problematic buyers — 1.3 percent of girls and 1.0 percent of boys — is relatively small. They advocate a combination of education in schools, clear labeling of advertising on social media, and stronger regulation of platforms that specifically target purchase incentives at minors.