Integral Ad Science (IAS) has released a new whitepaper, finding that parents overwhelmingly believe that publishers should be concerned about the well-being of their audience and that brands have a moral imperative to advertise responsibly.
The new whitepaper ‘The Rise of Responsible Media’ surveyed some 1,500 parents in partnership with MAGNA Media Trials and gathered qualitative feedback from publishers.
It found that 98 per cent of parents said it was important to have a conversation with their children about the safety of online content. Meanwhile, 77 per cent of parents said that publishers should be concerned about the well-being of their audience and 72 per cent of parents believe brands have a moral imperative to advertise responsibly.
Sexually inappropriate content, violence and drugs/alcohol are the online topics that most concern parents, according to the research with the former concerning almost three-quarters of parents.
Parents believe that dodgy online content will lead to their children being less focused on school work, as well as issues with their mental and physical health and could lead to bullying or harassment.
However, nearly three-quarters of parents believe that it is their responsibility to protect kids online. Meanwhile, just 8.7 per cent of parents believe social media platforms have a responsibility for protecting children online.
IAS and MAGNA believe that this consumer sentiment has a serious bearing on advertisers.
“Safety and suitability are top concerns for advertisers. Keyword blocking has been a simple and, at times, effective method to avoid content that brands do not want to be associated with. However, keyword blocking also prevents advertisers from reaching engaged and diverse audiences by using an outdated approach. In our research with IAS, we found that blocklists prevent brands from reaching audiences that otherwise would be receptive, as well as negatively impact efforts to be more inclusive,” said Kara Manatt, EVP, intelligence solutions, MAGNA Global.
