Betting on Emotions: Unveiling Children's psychophysiological Responses to Social Media Gambling Ads and the Influence of Educational Interventions

Recent trends in the UK indicate a concerning rise in gambling among young individuals aged 11-24, a group particularly vulnerable to problem gambling. This increase coincides with an escalation in gambling advertising on social media, known to attract youth through positive emotional engagement and the promise of financial rewards, despite existing educational and regulatory efforts to mitigate exposure. Our study investigates the efficacy of educational interventions in enhancing advertising literacy among children, utilizing a combination of psychophysiological and self-report measures across a sample of 58 participants. The findings reveal that content marketing for gambling significantly appeals to children, eliciting positive emotions and often failing to be recognized as advertising—potentially violating regulations requiring clear advertisement identification. Notably, preliminary evidence suggests that educational interventions can diminish the attractiveness of gambling ads and improve children's ability to discern marketing content. However, further research with expanded sample sizes is critical for substantiating these initial findings. Our study underscores the importance of educational strategies in protecting vulnerable demographics from gambling-related harm by reducing the allure of gambling advertisements and improving advertising literacy.