Social Network Advertising, Triggers Consumer Complaints and Exposes Teenagers to Illegal, Harmful Contents

- Consumers need broader choices of Social Network advertisement blocking services -

As more people recognize ‘Social Networking Service(SNS)’ as an effective marketing strategy, it is being abused as a distribution channel of excessive commercial advertisements and a tool to spread illegal and harmful information. That is why consumers need to be more cautious when using the service.

* SNS (social networking service) refers to online platform that helps users to freely communicate with each other, build relationships and others to socialize and strengthen social ties.

□ Complaints over excessive commercial advertisements, most of teenagers are exposed to illegal and harmful contents.

KCA(www.kca.go.kr) conducted a survey on 500consumers who have been exposed to commercial through 5major social networking sites. The result shows that more than half of respondents are exposed to more than 6advertisements per day on average(47.0%,235people), and feel that they are more exposed to advertisements through social networking sites(49.6%,248people).

*Social Networking Sites (5 sites): Facebook, Tweeter, Instagram, Kakao story, Band (service launch date order)

  According to 92.8% (464people) respondents, ‘Products and shopping mall ad’ ranked the first in terms of the most frequently exposed social networking advertisement type followed by ‘App installation ad’ (72.0%, 360people). In particular, 25.2%(126 people) answered that they have seen ads on private casino, porn, prostitution and other illegal and harmful information. What is worse is that 27.8%(35people) respondents were teenagers. (includes overlap respondents)

However, only 4.6%(23people) responded that ‘illegal and harmful information is well regulated and monitored’. Considering the fact that only 21.4%(21people) said reported contents were ‘taken care of’, It also requires business operators’ active responses consider.

□ Not enough Social Networking Sites’ advertisement blocking service, not easy to find report menu

However, after conducting research on SNS advertising status, we found out that consumers do not have enough services that can block unnecessary advertisements. Among 5SNSs, ‘Band’ is the only one that provides charged services that can block the advertisement(30days, 2,000won). Other SNSs provide the service of hiding advertisement, but consumers are able to hide specific advertisement only after being exposed to it.

* Screen: Open Band App – Setting – Customer support – Click ADFREE

All 5 business operators provide report service on illegal and harmful contents. However, most contents show ‘report menu’ after clicking the small button on the right above the site which made it difficult for consumers to find.

□ Vitalization of reporting illegal and harmful contents, and blocking ad services is necessary

In order to create an environment where consumers can safely use SNS, KCA plans to vitalize reporting service of illegal and harmful contents, and blocking ad services such as advise businesses in question to provide ad blocking service and to revise report menu, and recommend stricter monitoring and supervising for eradicating illegal and harmful contents.

In addition, KCA strongly suggests consumers to use reporting service of the businesses when they saw illegal and harmful contents on SNS, or file a report through ‘illegal and harmful contents report service’ of Korea Communications Standards Commission(www.kocsc.or.kr).