According to a Harvard University study, YouTube earned the most revenue from users under 12 ($959.1 million), followed by Instagram ($801.1 million) and Facebook ($137.2 million).

Meanwhile, Instagram gets the most ad revenue from users aged 13-17 ($4 billion), followed by TikTok ($2 billion) and YouTube ($1.2 billion). According to USA Today , Snapchat will get the largest share of total ad revenue in 2022 from users under 18 (41%), followed by TikTok (35%), YouTube (27%) and Instagram (16%). Facebook and X only get about 2% of their ad revenue from minors.

Bryn Austin, the study's author, said that amid growing concerns about young people's mental health, policymakers are working to introduce laws to curb activities that can lead to depression, anxiety and eating disorders.

Researchers estimated advertising revenue and the number of teens using social media based on data from the US Census Bureau, the nonprofit Common Sense Media, the Pew Research Center, the market research firm eMarketer and Qustodio, a parental control app.

Despite claims by tech companies that they can regulate their operations to reduce harm to young people, they have failed to do so. Research shows that the platforms are so financially motivated that they continue to delay taking action to protect children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says children are especially susceptible to advertising because they lack the ability to think critically and exercise self-control. Even though they can recognize ads, teens are still drawn to them when they see them on social media or are endorsed by celebrities.