Only 31% of Preteens Can Distinguish Paid Ads from Real Search Results

Well, this is alarming: a new study revealed that only 31 percent of 12 to 15 year-olds could recognize the difference between Google Ads and regular Google search results. In kids ages 8 to 11, the number was much lower, at only 16 percent.

The study was conducted by Ofcom, the UK's regulatory agency in charge of communications, and examined results from several hundred children in each age group. The kids were shown an image of a search for "trainers," and most either did not identify the paid results or trusted that they were still reflective of the best possible results.

With businesses seeking to circumvent the widespread use of adblocking, native advertising has boomed in the last few years. Business Insider estimates that advertisers will spend $7.9 billion on native ads in 2015, and that this number will balloon to $21 billion by 2018.

Companies are finding more and more ways to blur the line between paid ads and content meant to entertain. Paying popular YouTube and Instagram personalities to endorse products is also on the rise, and less than half of the kids surveyed by Ofcom were aware of how pervasive this practice is. Social media powerhouse Kim Kardashian herself got smacked down by the FDA earlier this year, for not making it clear enough that one of her Instagram posts was actually a paid ad.

It's unclear what the future might hold for these kids—if a healthy amount of cynicism will kick in as they get older, or if they will continue to regard Google as a faultless oracle. One thing is heartening, though: kids are still smart enough to value their privacy. 93 percent of the 12-15 age group said they would only want their contact information visible to friends, if anyone. It's likely this savviness is due to parental influence. It might not hurt for parents to also educate their children on when—and how—they're being pandered to.