Persuasion for protection: an analysis of online safety videos on YouTube

What is it about?

Public service announcements (PSAs) have been shown to be effective instruments that raise awareness, educate society, and change individual, organization, community and society behavior and attitudes. Many governments and organizations have utilized PSAs on social media to promote online safety among children and youth. However, we have limited understanding of the range of topics that these PSAs address and how they present their content to audiences. To address this gap, our study conducted a content analysis of 220 YouTube PSA videos on online safety. This analysis aimed to identify the topics in these videos, the persuasive framing elements, and how these factors correlate with audience engagement. The findings highlight that the primary focus of these PSAs is on online safety behaviors and general instructions on online hygiene. Interestingly, nearly half of the videos employ a neutral frame, while a significant portion provide no evidential support. Additionally, video length was associated with the number of views and likes it gathered but not with the number of comments. This research offers valuable theoretical and practical implications, providing insights for both researchers and content producers in online safety education.

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