Incite Fusion Study Reveals Parents Are Willing to Pay $30/month to Control Social Media Algorithms and Recommendations

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A nationwide study by Incite Fusion with 500+ parents, shows mental health fears compel parents' willingness to pay $30 per month for the ability to control social media algorithms and recommendations for their kids, and themselves. 

"I'm willing to pay some money if it will make social media safer." - Parent

Key Takeaways:

• After gun violence, mental health is a top concern for parents, which almost three-quarters attribute to social media.
• 8 out of 10 parents nationwide are willing to pay an average of $30 a month for the ability to manage social media algorithms and recommendations to their kids.
• By age 14, parents think their kids would be mature enough to use such a tool to self-manage their own content on most social media apps.
• Despite spending an average of $115 a month, only 55% of parents are "satisfied" with current subscription-based or hardware-based social media management apps, generally from 3rd party companies.
• 8 out of 10 parents believe that social media providers need to be actively involved in the development of tools to manage social media content.

There's a compelling, yet sustainable business model for social media to build better tools for managing social media algorithms and recommendations. 

• At $30/month, technologists have a compelling business argument to Venture Capitalists and investors that these tools are needed
• Parents across the political spectrum agree that the mental health impact on their kids is real and timely - legislation around this topic should be bipartisan

We have a standard rating system for the movies, why not for social media content?

• Social media developers can include better descriptors and ratings on content appropriateness for kids e.g., strong profanity, graphic nudity, sex, intense violence, etc.
• Consider user-controlled verification systems similar to Wikipedia
• "Trusted Users" does have its challenges and complexity, but it has worked for Wikipedia

Social Media companies should track sustainable engagement metrics and build tools that let users control recommendations based on these better metrics

• Social media developers should track smarter metrics than just "number of views" and "clicks." These metrics should include content that…
• "builds creativity"
• "boosts positivity"
• "recharges me"
• "Educates"

Incite Fusion is a research and strategy firm based in San Francisco, CA, founded by Liz Puccianti. Liz leverages over two decades of consumer and b2b research expertise to deliver the impact that clients need in a competitive landscape. Liz spends time living in the markets she studies, bringing tremendous depth and innovation to her research approaches for young and well-established brands. Incite Fusion crafts custom research for a myriad of organizations around the globe, leveraging a collaborative model, which allows them to partner with entrepreneurs, boutique firms and experts in hard-to-reach markets. Our Youth & Social Media Study can be accessed at InciteFusion.com.

SOURCE Incite Fusion