Influenciadores mirins: uma análise da produção de conteúdo comercial no youtube à luz da ética e da legislação publicitária

Abstract

This paper analyzes the production of commercial content by kidinfluencers on YouTube, positioning it at the intersection of entertainment, advertising, and digital child labor. Starting from the premise that this activity constitutes a complex phenomenon that transforms childhood into a commodity, the study is based on advertising legislation (CDC, CONANDA and CONAR resolutions) and the ethical principles of the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA), including its digital dimension. The general objective was to analyze the fragile regulatory boundaries of commercial content directed at children in the context of platformized culture. Through a comparative analysis of three emblematic channels —whose identities have been concealed for ethical reasons — the narrative structure, persuasive elements, and explicit and implicit market integration were investigated. The results demonstrate a systematic dissolution of the boundaries that traditionally protected childhood from commercial exploitation: the home becomes a studio, play becomes a script, and trust becomes influence capital. It is concluded that current regulation is outdated and insufficient in the face of the speed and sophistication of platforms. The algorithmic logic, coupled with the power asymmetry between platforms and users, creates an illusory autonomy for the child, who becomes both consumer and producer of the narrative. Faced with thecommodification of childhood experience, the urgency of a new ethical and regulatory pact is advocated, one that prioritizes the integral protection of childhood, ensuring digital participation that is safe, conscious, and free from market exploitation.