Family Prank Videos and Marketing

Some of the most popular YouTube and TikTok videos these days feature families that pull pranks on each other. Parents will prank their kids. Kids will prank their parents. These videos are especially popular among our younger kids, who will sit and watch these videos continually. If you’re an adult who views these videos with your children, you will quickly notice that everything is staged, sometimes in ways that lead you to feel embarrassed for their creators. But the fact that millions subscribe to and watch these videos indicates that the families really don’t care what you think. They are getting followers. Because of that, these influencers are being recruited by those who have something to sell, and products are being placed in the videos, and thereby marketed to our kids. If your kids are watching these prank videos, we encourage you give them a look for yourself. Help your kids notice how they are being marketed to, and then it might be wise to simply turn them off.