Fear-Based marketing of parental monitoring tools: Reinforcing overcontrol and child dependence
Main Article Content
Abstract
In the context of digital parenting, many campaigns appeal to parental fears to promote monitoring apps and access-restriction devices. This study examines how such advertising strengthens overcontrolling tendencies and reshapes perceptions of “good parenting”. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on ten video ads coded for five fear themes (loss of control, cyberbullying, online predators, digital addiction, physical danger) and five solution strategies (monitoring, filtering, location tracking, screen time limits, and non-internet devices). The results show that fear of losing control was present in approximately 90% of the sample, often in relation to cyberbullying or physical threats. The two dominant solution strategies were monitoring apps and non-internet devices. Across the sample, these solutions framed parents as vigilant guardians and children as passive dependents. This threat–solution narrative turns anxiety into reassurance and implicitly normalizes tech monitoring as responsible parenting. The findings illustrate how fear appeals may be used to justify excessive surveillance and reconfigure parenting norms in the digital era, but they also emphasize the importance of conducting ethical marketing activities, informing users of potential privacy threats, and maintaining an appropriate balance between safety and independence.
Keywords
Advertising ethics; Fear appeals; Overcontrolling parenting; Parental monitoring; Surveillance technologies
Article Details
Field of Economic (JEL Codes)
D91 - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics, M31 - Marketing - M37 - Advertising - Marketing and Advertising
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