RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Social media is an essential component of many companies’ marketing strategies. European brands spend an estimated €35.5 billion ($40.4 billion) a year on social media advertising, according to IAB Europe’s AdEx Benchmark Report . As governments across the continent move to restrict younger audiences’ access to these platforms, marketers are being forced to rethink their approach.
France is set to become the first European country to implement an age restriction, when its social media ban comes into force for under 15s on September 1. A continent-wide ban could follow. European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has pledged to introduce EU-wide restrictions, while 10 EU countries are drafting their own social media bans including Greece, Sweden, Portugal, and Spain.
The U.K. has outlined its own plans to prohibit social media access for under-16s in July. In response, brands are expected to cut digital advertising spending by £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion), according to analysts at eMarketer.
The commercial weight social media channels carry with young consumers is considerable. More than half (54%) of 12- to 15-year-olds in the U.K. find new items they want to buy through social media, according to audience research company GWI. A further 24% watched an unboxing or product review video in the past week. Companies in the food and drink, toys, fashion, and beauty sectors are expected to be most impacted by the changes.
“Youth-facing strategies built entirely around social feeds were always more exposed to regulatory risk,” says Rachel Aldighieri, CEO of the U.K. Data & Marketing Association. The association has had an influx of questions from companies in the entertainment, gaming, retail, fast-moving consumer goods, sport, education, and charity sectors, she adds.
Brands in these categories are now being forced to rethink how they build awareness with young consumers at a time when many are doubling down on social media rather than pulling back.
Unilever has previously said it is committed to spending 50% of its digital media budget on social and creator marketing. L’Oréal has been steadily shifting spend away from traditional advertising toward influencer-led content, most visibly through its “Beauty Squad” of creator ambassadors. Lego has found success marketing specifically on TikTok and YouTube.
Beyond the feed
If younger audiences become harder to reach through traditional platforms, brands will need to rethink where they invest. “It’s more likely advertisers will reallocate spend rather than simply reduce it,” Aldighieri says.
Streaming services are predicted to be one of the biggest beneficiaries, as businesses seek to redistribute their advertising budgets. Aldighieri expects companies to spread their budgets across family and household marketing, gaming, retail media, experiential activity, and loyalty programs to build direct relationships with parents and adult customers. But she cautions: “It’s really too early to understand the impact in full.”
Marcela Melero, chief growth marketing officer at Dove, views the ban as a reminder that platforms are temporary and audiences are permanent. The brand is already testing newer channels such as Substack and WhatsApp as part of its revised approach.
Both happen to sit outside the likely scope of the bans, which has fueled broader industry speculation that some marketers could try to shift youth-targeted activity into messaging apps once the bans take effect.
However, Aldighieri advises marketers to be careful when changing tack. Existing child-data protections, including the UK’s GDPR, the Children’s Code, and PECR, already govern how children’s data can be used. This means the messaging exemption isn’t a loophole for reaching under-16s, Aldighieri adds.
“Rather than relying on a handful of channels, we’ll likely see greater focus on gaming, podcasts, retail experiences, sponsorships, and other spaces where young people already spend their time,” says Stephen Taylor, social lead at creative agency Dinosaur. “Youth attention won’t disappear; it will become more fragmented.” Brands that quickly adapt to the changes, he adds, “could establish a significant advantage before those spaces become saturated.”
Influencer marketing will evolve too. Taylor predicts fewer one-off campaigns chasing reach, and more long-term creator partnerships that will be judged on sales and retention rather than likes and views. He thinks the shift could push the industry toward healthier habits. “Fewer opportunities to chase viral moments could encourage brands to invest in creativity that builds trust, is memorable, and delivers long-term value.”
Signs point to a cooling social media ad market. Taylor argues it will accelerate AI assistants replacing social media feeds as the main source of product discovery, with consumers asking chatbots what to buy instead of scrolling for items. The shift is already happening: More than half of consumers (58%) have replaced traditional search engines with generative-AI tools as their go-to for product and service recommendations, according to research by Capgemini .
The platforms in the crosshairs
The social media bans land at an already fragile moment for Snapchat. The number of daily users on Snapchat dropped by 1 million in the EU b...
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