Analysis of Chilean children's perceptions of commercial content on TikTok: "I ate a commercial"

In the context of the high digitization of childhood, advertising on social networks becomes an ideal location for brands and advertisers to meet this audience profile. However, in the debate, no space has been given to how boys and girls perceive these advertising strategies. Therefore, this work aims to qualitatively explore the discourses related to the experience of using TikTok with a focus on advertising. For this, 32 in-depth interviews were conducted with minors between 11 and 14 years old who are users of this platform in Santiago, Chile. The results indicate that the platform is perceived as an entertainment space, especially for the segment of children and young people. Regarding advertising, the participants agree that, although it may be intrusive and not necessarily appropriate to their interests, if it complies with the rules of the application -brief, with humor, and music- it is tolerated and even welcomed by its users. However, this does not happen when there is a covert, deceptive or repetitive advertising intent. Added to these elements is their control over the advertisement and the possibility of interaction with the brand.