Children’s responses to influencer advertising: examining the impact of advertising disclosure and content type

Kidfluencers have become an increasingly familiar feature of children’s online viewing, raising concerns about how children process persuasive content embedded in entertainment. Drawing on the Elaboration Likelihood Model and advertising literacy, this study examines the effects of advertising disclosure and content type on children’s purchase intention, as well as the moderating role of advertising literacy. A quasi-experimental study using a 2 (disclosure vs. non-disclosure) × 3 (content type: rational, interactional, transactional) design was conducted with children aged 8–12 years using manipulated kidfluencer videos. Data were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance and moderation analysis. The results indicate that advertising disclosure had a significant effect on purchase intention. Children exposed to disclosed content reported higher purchase intention than those exposed to non-disclosed content. Content type and the interaction between disclosure and content type were not statistically significant. Advertising literacy also significantly moderated the effect of advertising disclosure on purchase intention, such that the positive effect of disclosure weakened as advertising literacy increased. These findings point to the importance of considering both disclosure practices and children’s advertising literacy when investigating responses to influencer advertising and suggest that advertising disclosure does not necessarily reduce children’s purchase intention.