Ads in disguise
Loading…
What you will learn
By the end, you can spot an ad hiding as a post, a video, a prize or a game offer, and say what it wants you to do.
Ben is racing in a game when a box pops up: "You WON a free bike! Tap to claim." Sana looks over. "That is not a prize," she says. "That is an ad." How can she tell so fast?
Read the explanation
An ad is a message someone paid for. Its job is to make you buy, download, tap or sign up. Ads used to look like posters. Now they can look like a friend's post, a video, a game bonus or a prize. The clues are still there if you look.
- Look for the words sponsored, ad, paid partnership or #ad.
- A free prize that asks you for something first is not free.
- An ad is not bad. But you decide, not the ad.